Feminine Norms, Culture, and Asian and White American College Women's Drinking Behaviors: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVE: Research indicates that heavy alcohol use is increasingly prevalent among college young adult women and is associated with a range of negative health outcomes. To expand upon prior quantitative research examining the influence of distinct feminine norms and cultural factors on college women's alcohol consumption, the present study seeks to develop a comprehensive, in-depth understanding of these factors through a qualitative approach, providing deeper insight into the cultural, gender-relevant and normative influences shaping college women's heavy drinking behaviors.

METHOD: Thirteen White and twelve Asian American college women were randomly selected from two latent drinking classes based on latent class analyses in previous research: college women who engage in heavy drinking (n = 10) and college women who engage in low/no drinking (n = 15). Participants then participated in an in-depth semistructured interview, which were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS: Our main findings demonstrate that while endorsing the sexual fidelity feminine norms discourages heavy alcohol use, conforming to the appearance investment norm and resisting submissive norms motivate participants' alcohol use. We also found that toward women who drink, Asian women's attitudes tended to be more critical, while White women were more lenient. Furthermore, we identified various interpersonal influences on participants' alcohol use, such as drinking for social acceptance and distinct drinking patterns when drinking with men compared to drinking with women.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the significance for clinicians to be conscious about the impact of conformity to certain feminine norms and cultural influences when providing interventions toward college women's alcohol use.