40 Lauren Hageman – Underage Drinking

Lauren Hageman is a fourth-year student majoring in Criminal Justice. She grew up in Falcon, Colorado, and is currently living in Guam.  This paper on Underage Drinking is part of a research project she completed for “Theories of Crime and Deviance” with Dr. Mier.  Professor Carrie Mier notes, “Very well-researched, presented and formatted. Great exploration of routine activities theory, power-control theory, and super traits theory.  Wonderful research and statistical writing.”

Underage Drinking

Introduction

Underage drinking is a large and evolving problem all around the world that needs to be addressed at the root cause. In this research portfolio, the discussion of where underage drinking is influenced from will be addressed through different theories that have been taught in this course throughout the semester. The theories that will be addressed will be routine activities theory, power-control theory, and Agnew’s super trait theory which will all pertain to the most frequent and possible causes of underage drinking. I chose to focus on underage drinking because it seems that underage drinking laws and the prevention methods that have been put into place, such as age restrictions, should be helping the issue more than it seems to be which tells me that it goes deeper than just accessibility to alcohol.

Description and Background

Underage Drinking is when someone partakes in drinking alcohol under the legal drinking age. Different countries have different underage drinking laws and ages, ranging from 15 to 25 years old, compared to the United States where the legal drinking age is 21 (Cleveland Clinic). Adolescents can also partake in binge drinking which is the consumption of five or more drinks for men, and four for women, during one occasion (Chung et al., 2018). In the state of Indiana, the Indiana code for underage drinking is Indiana Code 7.1-5-7, which states underage drinking is “any minor who knowingly possesses, consumes, or transports an alcoholic beverage commits a Class C Misdemeanor” (Cummins, 2023). Underage drinking can be influenced among adolescent individuals who have no self-control when it comes to partaking in drinking and easy access to alcohol, which makes them more likely to partake in the opportunity. Adolescents who have more self-control will be less prone to partake in underage drinking habits when the opportunity arises (Baek & Lee, 2018). Underage drinking is also influenced by the surroundings of the adolescent through individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policies that negatively affect the adolescent (Alghzawi & Ghanem, 2021).

Crime Data

Self-reporting is the best way to collect data on underage drinking due to the lack of data that is not reported officially when measuring underage drinking rates and the crime that follows. In 2013 1,691 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 20 were killed in vehicle crashes that involved a blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.01 (Harding et al., 2016). Underage drinking, including binge drinking, also contributes to higher violence and victimization rates in adolescents due to poor decision-making that increases the risk of harming someone (Shepherd et al., 2006). Between 1991 and 2013 binge drinking was seen making a steady decrease between adolescent boys and girls but there are still many challenges that remain (Harding et al., 2016). These statistics show the importance of preventing underage drinking, so adolescents stop getting hurt.

Victimization Data

It was directly found through the PRIDE national survey, a self-reporting survey, that violent school victimization is related to an increase in adolescent alcohol use (King et al., 2014). Underage binge drinking is also dangerous because it causes a rise in the likelihood of being victimized by interpersonal violence such as being physically or sexually assaulted (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Sometimes victimization is the reason that adolescents begin to underage drink. Traumatic incidents and victimization can be linked to underage drinking because of the effect that these actions have had on the victim like high-stress situations and not being able to receive proper help (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Alcohol was also found to be involved in 12-20% of sexual assault victimization cases between 7th and 12th-grade students by using a self-reporting system called the Sexual Experiences Survey in the Midwest in 2008 (Young et al., 2009).

State of Crime/Laws/Punishment Today

In the state of Indiana, section 7.1-5-1-6.5 of the Indiana General Assembly states that it is illegal for a minor to possess, consume, or transport alcoholic beverages on a public highway without one parent or guardian. This crime is considered a class C misdemeanor (Indiana General Assembly, 2023). If the individual was found to be transporting alcohol without a guardian or was found consuming alcohol their driving privileges can be taken from them by the court, according to IC 9-24-18-2.2, for 60 days if under 18, or up to a year if older (Indiana General Assembly, 2023). It is also illegal for an adult to give alcohol to a minor in the state of Indiana and it is classified as a class B misdemeanor, if bodily harm occurs it is a level six felony (Indiana General Assembly, 2023). Indiana state does have a Lifeline Law that stops an individual who was underage drinking from being arrested or charged in court if they witness or report a crime while intoxicated, transferring alcohol, or in possession of alcohol (IUPUI).

Theory 1: Routine Activities Theory

Routine activities theory is a neoclassical theory that addresses the routine activities in society or neighborhood that either encourage or prevent crime based on recurrent and prevalent activities that provide the population with basic needs. Crime encouragement comes from the lack of capable guardians that cause motivated offenders to meet suitable targets (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Routine activities theory addresses both the offender and the crime prevention methods, addressing that an offender will commit the crime if it is found that there is a lack of a capable guardian based on the situation, or routine activity, which does not change the motivation of the offender (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). A capable guardian does not have to be the parent of the underage drinker. It would be anyone who has authority over the situation. A lack of authority or “guardian” increases the chance that the offender can get away with the crime which motivates the offender independently to act which can cause more victimization. An example of routine activities theory is college towns where individuals underage drink in different environments, such as pre-game parties, to avoid being caught, “The routine activity approach offers a theoretical background, since the drinking environments provide no supervision, that is, no guardians to protect victims and no handlers to inhibit delinquent acts” (LaFave, 2017). The different environment locations provided a difference in the severity of underage drinking based on the absence of controls or the “importance of drinking” for the context of the event (LaFave, 2017). These routine activities present an opportunity for underage college students looking to binge drink due to the lack of guardianship that is purposefully sought after by the offenders.

Theory 2: Power-Control Theory

The power-control theory is a feminist theory that discusses the differences in gender due to power difficulties in the family that create crime and delinquent behavior (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Power-control theory discusses specifically the unbalanced system in patriarchal families due to the roles that women are supposed to conform to while boys prepare for their roles with greater freedom (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). This unbalanced system causes the gender-different siblings to be raised differently than one another, expecting the women to conform to their societal roles of avoiding delinquent behavior. If these children are raised with more similar roles and values that are attached to the patriarchal system then the female child has a higher risk of developing the same delinquent behavior as her brother (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Increased binge drinking rates in adolescent females have been a cause for concern and have sparked gender-specific interventions and preventions to address the increase in underage female binge drinkers (Dir et al., 2017). The patriarchal system that has evolved around the sensation-seeking and masculine effect of male adolescent drinking refers to the gender norms within binge drinking that “females who engaged in more frequent binge drinking did so as a means to feel more equal to their male peers and as a way to impress their male peers” (Dir et al., 2017).

Theory 3: Agnew’s Super Traits Theory

Agnew’s super traits theory is a developmental theory that addresses the five life domains, personality, family, school, peers, and work, that create crime-generating factors (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Personality traits of low self-control and irritability are super traits that identify with sensation seeking, impulsivity, inventiveness, and low empathy which all receive negative responses from their family, school, peers, and work (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Negative relationship responses from the five life domains, which are all connected, due to negatively perceived personality super traits cause a reaction of crime and deviant behavior from the offender. The super traits of sensation seeking, impulsivity, inventiveness, and low empathy can also sometimes be explained through the immaturity of the adolescent brain due to the intense “remodeling” phase that adolescent brains go through (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Males’ super traits of irritability and low self-control are more likely to continue through adulthood compared to females due to the idea of aggressiveness and competitiveness that throughout evolution has helped male reproductive chances (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). The student surveyed group of the adolescent effect of Agnew’s five life domains along with the usage of underage drinking found that “among the significant life domain variables, T1 low self-control exhibited the greatest effect on the likelihood of students consuming alcohol” (Ngo & Paternoster, 2014). Low self-control showed a 12% odd increase in the usage of alcohol while having conventional friends decreased the odds of underage drinking by 7% showing the effects of the five life domains within the likelihood of underage drinking (Ngo & Paternoster, 2014).

Compare/Contrast All Theories

All three theories provide their own understanding of underage drinking that best addresses a different root cause. Routine activities theory discusses the cycle of a motivated offender finding a suitable target through the absence of a capable guardian (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Agnew’s super trait theory also addresses the lack of an adequate guardian, more specifically poor parenting, that is discussed in routine activity theory. Both theories agree that a lack of an adequate guardian causes an increased risk for delinquent behavior and crime (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Routine activities theory differs from power-control theory because power-control theory focuses more on the alcoholic gender victimization of adolescent females due to an unbalanced function of power in the family due to the patriarchy not directly on the absence of a capable guardian (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). The power-control theory does address the frequent victimization and risk factor for girls and their individual needs by “addressing discipline and rewarding and reinforcing prosocial behaviors may be important for boys given their externalizing risk profile, while for girls, better communication and emotional understanding and support might better target their internalizing risk profile” (Dir et al., 2017). The power-control theory relates to the routines activity theory that directly addresses the victimization of women happening more often than men when they live alone (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020). Agnew’s super trait theory does not directly address the difference in victimization between male and female underage drinkers like the other two theories do.

Theory Advocacy for Agnew’s Super Trait Theory

Agnew’s super trait theory is the best theory for the explanation of underage drinking because it applies the most prevalent aspects of an individual’s life, the five life domains, and connects them with an explanation for crime and delinquent behavior due to negative social responses. It also addresses that an individual in adolescence is going through an episode of immaturity during the brain remodeling period which could also be the reason for the negative super trait personalities that conflict with the life domains giving the crime and delinquent behavior a possible ending when the time of immaturity and brain remodeling process. The super trait of low self-control with the life domain of inadequate guardianship are significant reasons why individuals participate in underage drinking (Ngo & Paternoster, 2014). Sensation-seeking is also a super trait that disrupts the relationship with the other life domains, 1,200 seventh to 12th graders with a sensation-seeking super trait stated that 57% used alcohol to fill their sensation-seeking super trait and as a tool to defy adult and school authority (Thombs et al., 1994). The developmental trajectory that is created by negative super traits creates a response from peers, family, schoolteachers, and workmates, that makes the negative super traits worse (Walsh & Jorgensen, 2020).

General Prevention for Underage Drinking

There have been general pre-determined methods of stopping an individual who is underage drinking such as age laws, as well as laws against those of age not being legally allowed to provide alcohol for those that are underage. Schools also participate in prevention methods of underage drinking such as providing extracurricular activities after school to keep adolescents busy. Some schools also provide life skill classes that educate adolescents on the dangers of underage drinking and why not giving into peer pressure and having self-control is an important part of being a productive individual in society (Komro & Toomy, 2002). School programs can be helpful for individuals who have a high risk of being around alcohol due to their community or interpersonal relationships that are unable to provide the adolescent with a safe environment away from the influence. Family prevention programs are also beneficial to stopping underage drinking. If families learn about underage drinking and learn the signs and practice at-home prevention methods it can help the adolescent reduce the risk of underage drinking (Komro & Toomy, 2002). The personal, social, and environmental factors as to why an adolescent is underage drinking can help identify the root cause and can provide information on what prevention methods need to be taken to help them to stop the consumption of alcohol (Komro & Toomy, 2002).

Theory-Specific Prevention for Underage Drinking

Agnew’s super trait theory discusses the five life domains that affect an individual and their path to crime and delinquency. This theory can be prevented and reduced through resources that address all five of the life domains at the root problem of what the adolescent is reacting negatively to or what the negative reaction is from. The five life domains are personality, family, school, peers, and work making multisystemic therapy a great option for those participating in underage drinking. Services through multisystemic therapy that would be the most helpful to Agnew’s super trait theory and the five life domains would be parent training, family therapy, developing natural support systems through community, involving the adolescent in school activities, and improving peer relationships (National Institute of Justice, 2011). Multisystemic therapy is a family-driven treatment that is home and community-centered that provides bridge-building roles in communities, families, and schools, while also providing mental health help (MST Services). The goal is to keep troubled adolescents out of trouble by contributing to school or staying home. Therapists are available to take cases and come to homes personally to eliminate barriers and open 24/7 access to help (National Institute of Justice, 2011).

Conclusion

Addressing underage drinking at the root cause should be the main goal for prevention methods in all theories of why underage individuals drink, not just having prevention methods in place to stop underage individuals from getting alcohol. Analyzing different theories to try and find the cause of underage drinking has helped me see the topic of underage drinking differently. Many more factors go into why individuals underage drink between stress, defiance, societal factors, and immaturity. Underage drinking will always be a problem in society even with prevention methods in place. It will never fully be prevented due to the different social structures, gender norms, and root causes that each case has. The most compelling evidence I found for my topic has been the ties between the five life domains and their involvement in crime and delinquency being the cause of underage drinking. It addresses the biological and crime-generating factors of an adolescent with an inclusion of immaturity, which is not discussed much in the other theories I have chosen when I thought it would have been evident in every theory that biological immaturity plays a part in crime and deviant behavior in underage drinking.

Works Cited

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