Exploring Trends in Adolescent Drinking Habits

The assignment content provided appears to be a collection of various sources and datasets, including reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on child maltreatment surveillance, an article about mobile research methods, and another article discussing parental concerns regarding cyberbullying. Additionally, there is a dataset providing information on alcohol consumption among males and females in different age groups (Year 10, Year 11, and Year 12). The dataset shows the percentage of individuals who never drink alcohol, drink once a month or less, drink 2-3 days a month, drink about one day a week, and drink more than once a week. Overall, the content appears to be diverse and unrelated.

Running head: APPLIED RESEARCH 1
Tittle
Name
Instructor’s name

APPLIED RESEARCH 2
Abstract
With over 2136 Australian secondary students taking part in the 2013 survey, light has
been shed on some of the behaviors among secondary students that have raised concerns to
their parents. Two behaviors which were put into consideration in this report include alcohol
and drug abuse; and the use of technology and cyberbullying. This report uncovers the extent
of these behaviors which continue to be among the biggest challenges facing teenagers,
including their significant impacts. The survey was administered by use of questionnaires, as it
has been done in the previous surveys. However, due to challenges in getting the required
sample size, a new sampling method was introduced. Students could be recruited online
(Recruited Online Survey) alongside the traditional school-based survey. Also, for the first
time Year, 11 students were included in the survey. More female students participated in the
survey (61%) compared to male students (39%). Out of all the students who took the survey,
60% reported they had taken alcohol but the frequency was seen to vary with 10% of the
students taking often. More males drink alcohol (6%) than females (3%). Few students use
drugs majority being male students. Cyberbullying is experienced by a few students through
receiving calls and being left out of things on the internet. It is, however, clear to note that
more students use internet and technology on daily basis. There is still much to be done to help
the secondary students but we cannot ignore the fact that they have shown great maturity in
their decision making.
Keywords: survey, cyberbullying, alcohol, drug use
2

APPLIED RESEARCH 3
Introduction
Due to concerns of how the young people were vulnerable to HIV infection in the 1990s,
the Australian Government Department of Health initiated and funded a national survey of the
sexual health of secondary students in Australia (Kippax, Connell, Dowsett, & Crawford, 1993).
This research has been carried out every five years with the objective of getting a clear picture of
the knowledge and experiences of Australian teenagers on sexual matters. The data collected has
been widely used by various individuals and organizations including parents and policy-makers
over the last couple of years to find ways of educating the young people.
In the recent survey, new questions have been added that examine issues on alcohol and
drug use; and the use of technology and cyberbullying. The addition of the topics was after
parents raising concerns of their children experiencing cyberbullying or using drugs. According
to Telstra’s Schoolyard to Screen study, 40% of parents in Australia ranked cyberbullying among
their biggest worries while 9% of parents were worried that their child would consume alcohol or
take drugs. Jackie Coates, head of the Telstra Foundation said during the launch of PROJECT
ROCKIT, "Our research found that parents want more help dealing with these issues, with two in
three (68%) saying more help is needed to educate and empower young people about
cyberbullying." (Star, 2017). This clearly shows the need to conduct a survey that would include
alcohol and drug use; and the use of technology and cyberbullying.
It is important to note that these surveys generate valuable information about the young
secondary students including their knowledge on matters concerning their health and daily
experiences. However, the release of each report of the surveys to the public gives negative
3

APPLIED RESEARCH 4
perceptions of the secondary students and it is therefore important not only to look at the
negative side of the information but also consider the good side of young students.
Method
The 2013 survey had a similar methodology to the previously used methodologies only
with the addition of some sections in the questionnaire (section E and F that included questions
on alcohol cigarette and marijuana use and internet, technology and social media respectively.)
With the increase in the use of technology in education, it was also prudent to introduce an
online format of the questionnaire alongside the traditional pen-and-paper version (Garrison &
Anderson, 2003).
The reduced response rate experienced in the previous survey proved that getting the
appropriate sample size had been difficult to achieve. Therefore, an alternative approach was
used in the 2013 survey to increase the sample size.
First, the schools that were randomly selected from all school types in all states and
territories of Australia in the 2008 study were approached again to participate in the 2013 survey
(704 schools). Letters were sent to the principals of the schools and 62 principals agreed to
participate in the study. A list of other 33 schools was created and principals sent information
about the study. In general, out of the 95 school principals who received documentation about
their consent, only 41 principals signed back the consent sheets agreeing to take part in the study
whereas 15 principals withdrew after being given consent.
The second approach was to invite all Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 (both male and
female) students to take part in the exercise. Previously, only Year 10 and Year 12 students were
randomly selected from all classes and if the class size was less than 20, a class at that year level
4

APPLIED RESEARCH 5
randomly selected, was added. The approach of including Year 11 students in the study was due
to the challenges experienced in obtaining the necessary sample size.
In August of 2013, it was decided to recruit more Australian secondary students in Years
10 to 12 to ensure the survey had many potential participants. The students were to be recruited
through Recruited Online Survey (ROS) that was independent of school recruitment. An
advertisement for recruitment of potential participants was posted on various platforms in which
the participant would be re-directed to the survey website. The website used in the 2013 study
was whatsitlike.org.au. The student was supposed to provide information on the name and
postcode of the school, type of school, state or territory of their school and if the school is mixed-
sex or single-sex.
The use of multiple recruitment strategies and data collection methodologies enables the
study to have a broader representation of Australian secondary students and a wide range of
participants.
Results
The data collected in the 2013 study was analyzed by gender. Besides the usual ‘male’
and ‘female’, students were given the option of ‘other’, for the first time. However, the 23
students who chose ‘other’ were included in the sample. This was due to the low-class size. Of
the 2,136 students included in the final sample, 1,361 students (63.7%) completed the school-
based survey and 775 students (36.3%) completed the online school's based survey.
Table 1.1: The sample size and the rate of participation in each state
State School-based survey Recruited online survey Total sample
Number of Sample size Number of Sample size
5

APPLIED RESEARCH 6
schools schools size
ACT 1 52 9 20 72
NSW 5 245 124 181 426
NT 1 58 3 4 62
QLD 3 51 59 102 153
SA 2 98 48 126 224
TAS 1 24 19 34 58
VIC 8 558 122 259 817
WA 5 272 31 47 319
Unknown - 3 2 5
Total 26 1361 415 775 2136
110 students recruited in the online survey did not provide the name of their schools.
They were however included in the sample size of their state.
In the 2013 survey, more females (61%) than male (39%) students participated. This has
been so even in the previous surveys. Year 10 students participated more in the school-based
sample (50%) compared to Year 11 and Year 12 whereas more Year 12 students participated
more in the ROS sample (38%) than Year 10 and Year 11.
Table 1.2: shows gender and year level
School-based survey Recruited online
survey
Total by gender Total by
year level
Male Female Male Female Male Female
% (n) % (n) % (n) % (n) % (n) % (n) % (n)
Year 10 42.7(290) 57.3(389) 45.7(107) 54.3(127) 43.5(397) 56.5(516) 42.8(913)
6

APPLIED RESEARCH 7
Year 11 34.1(133) 65.9(257) 30.2(75) 69.8(173) 32.6(208) 67.4(430) 29.9(638)
Year 12 43.3(125) 56.7(164) 32.3(94) 67.7(197) 37.8(219) 62.2(361) 27.2(580)
Total 40.4(550) 59.6(811) 35.7(277) 64.3(498) 38.7(827) 61.3(1309
)
100(2136)
Year 10 Year 11 Year 12
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
397
208 219
516
430
361
Participation by gender and year level
Male Female
All the students surveyed were asked if they had drunk alcohol and quite a substantial
number (60%) reported they had taken alcohol. The frequency of taking alcohol was seen to vary
with 36% of students reported drinking alcohol ‘once or less every month’ and 10% of the
students drunk often, weekly or less than a week. Of the 10% of students drinking more than
once a week, male students were reported to drink more (6%) than female students (3%).
Table 1.3: Frequency of students having alcohol
Males (N=827) Females
(N=1309)
Total (N=2136)
7

APPLIED RESEARCH 8
% (n) % (n) % (n)
Year 10 Never drink alcohol 46.4 (181/390) 50.4 (258/512) 48.7 (439/902)
Once a month or less 31.0 (121/390) 31.5 (161/512) 31.3 (282/902)
2-3 days a month 12.1 (47/390) 12,1 (62/512) 12.1 (109/902)
About 1 days a week 4.1 (16/390) 4.3 (22/512) 4.2 (38/902)
More than once a week 6.4 (25/390) 1.8 (9/512) 3.8 (34/902)
Year 11 Never drink alcohol 41.1 (83/202) 44.2 (187/423) 43.2 (270/625)
Once a month or less 35.6 (72/202) 37.4 (158/423) 36.8 (230/625)
2-3 days a month 11.4 (23/202) 12.1 (51/423) 11.8 (74/625)
About 1 day a week 5.0 (10/202) 3.8 (16/423) 4.2 (26/625)
More than once a week 6.9 (14/202) 2.6 (11/423) 4.0 (25/625)
Year 12 Never drink alcohol 19.0 (41/216) 26.6 (96/361) 23.7 (137/577)
Once a month or less 44.9 (97/216) 39.3 (142/361) 41.4 (239/577)
2-3 days a month 18.5 (40/216) 20.8 (75/361) 19.9 (115/577)
About 1 day a week 12.0 (26/216) 10.0 (36/361) 10.8 (62/577)
More than once a week 5.6 (12/216) 3.3 (12/361) 4.2 (24/577)
Total Never drink alcohol 37.9 (307/811) 41.7 (541/1298) 40.2 (848/2109)
Once a month or less 35.8 (290/811) 35.6 (462/1298) 35.7 (752/2109)
2-3 days a month 13.6 (110/811) 14.6 (189/1298) 14.2 (299/2109)
About 1 day a week 6.4 (52/811) 5.7 (74/1298) 6.0 (126/2109)
More than once a week 6.4 (52/811) 2.5 (32/1298) 4.0 (84/2109)
Students were also asked to provide information on their use of drugs especially
cigarettes and marijuana. From the data collected (Table 1.3 and 1.4), male students were seen to
8

APPLIED RESEARCH 9
be using these drugs compared to the female students. However, the majority of the students who
took part in the survey reported that they have never taken these drugs.
Table 1.4: Shows use of cigarette
Males (N=827) Females (N=1309) Total (N=2136)
% (n) % (n) % (n)
Year 10 Never 83.8 (303/394) 85.4 (439/514) 84.7 (769/908)
Occasionally 12.7 (50/394) 10.3 (53/514) 11.3 (103/908)
Regularly 3.6 (14/394) 4.3 (22/514) 4.0 (36/908)
Year 11 Never 81.5 (167/205) 80.4 (344/428) 80.7 (511/633)
Occasionally 14.2 (29/205) 15.0 (64/428) 14.7 (93/633)
Regularly 4.4 (9/205) 4.7 (20/428) 4.6 (29/633)
Year 12 Never 77.2 (169/219) 76.7 (277/361) 76.9 (446/580)
Occasionally 17.8 (39/219) 18.6 (67/361) 18.3 (106/580)
Regularly 5.0 (11/219) 4.7 (17/361) 4.8 (28/580)
Total Never 81.4 (668/821) 81.4 (1062/1305) 81.4 (1730/2126)
Occasionally 14.5 (119/821) 14.1 (184/1305) 14.3 (303/2126)
Regularly 4.1 (34/821) 4.5 (59/1305) 4.4 (93/2126)
9

APPLIED RESEARCH 10
year 10 Year 11 Year 12
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900 769
511 446
103 93 106
36 29 28
Cigarette use by year level
Never Occasionally Regularly
Table 1.5: Shows use of marijuana
Males (N=827) Females (N=1309) Total (N=2136)
% (n) % (n) % (n)
Year 10 Never 80.6 (316 / 392) 87.7 (450 / 513) 84.6 (766 / 905)
Occasionally 14.5 (57 / 392) 10.9 (56 / 513) 12.5 (113 / 905)
Regularly 4.9 (19 / 392) 1.4 (7 / 513) 2.9 (26 / 905)
Year 11 Never 82.3 (167 / 203) 84.3 (360 / 427) 83.7 (527 / 630)
Occasionally 12.8 (26 / 203) 13.1 (56 / 427) 13.0 (82 / 630)
Regularly 4.9 (10 / 203) 2.6 (11 / 427) 3.3 (21 / 630)
Year 12 Never 73.5 (161 / 219) 80.6 (291 / 361) 77.9 (452 / 580)
Occasionally 21.9 (48 / 219) 18.3 (66 / 361) 19.7 (114 / 580)
Regularly 4.6 (10 / 219) 1.1 (4 / 361) 2.4 (14 / 580)
Total Never 79.1 (646 / 817) 84.7 (1103 / 1303) 82.5 (1749 / 2120)
Occasionally 16.2 (132 / 817) 13.7 (178 / 1303) 14.6 (310 / 2120)
10

APPLIED RESEARCH 11
Regularly 4.8 (39 / 817) 1.7 (22 / 1303 2.9 (61 / 2120)
Students who took part in the survey reported using various methods to access the
internet which includes using computers (95%) and mobile phones (85%). Hand-held gaming
was reported more frequently in male students (29%) than female students (9%). Table 1.6
shows how the Australian secondary students use the internet and technology to access various
social networking sites with the majority being the female students. Facebook was commonly
used (91%) followed by Instagram and YouTube (82% and 49% respectively) (Tung, 2009).
Table 1.6: shows use of social networking sites
Males (N=827) Females (N=1309) Total (N=2136)
%
Facebook 90.1 (745 / 827) 91.6 (1,199 / 1,309) 91.0 (1,944 / 2,136)
Twitter 15.8 (131 / 827) 17.2 (225 / 1,309) 16.7 (356 / 2,136)
Google Plus 12.0 (99 / 827) 6.8 (89 / 1,309) 8.8 (188 / 2,136)
Tumblr 18.1 (150 / 827) 45.6 (597 / 1,309) 35.0 (747 / 2,136)
YouTube 84.8 (701 / 827) 79.4 (1,039 / 1,309) 81.5 (1,740 / 2,136)
Myspace 1.7 (14 / 827) 0.9 (12 / 1,309) 1.2 (26 / 2,136)
Reddit 11.1 (92 / 827) 3.3 (43 / 1,309) 6.3 (135 / 2,136)
Instagram 37.0 (306 / 827) 55.8 (731 / 1,309) 48.6 (1,037 / 2,136)
Flickr 2.4 (20 / 827) 1.3 (17 / 1,309) 1.7 (37 / 2,136)
Other 11.6 (96 / 827) 8.9 (117 / 1,309) 10.0 (213 / 2,136)
I don’t use social 3.1 (26 / 827) 1.5 (20 / 1,309) 2.2 (46 / 2,136)
11

APPLIED RESEARCH 12
networking
Students were asked to report some behavioral situations that they have been exposed to across
the internet or mobile communication over the last couple of months that constitute
cyberbullying. Most students reported being bullied less frequently and those that experience
bullying reported receiving prank mobile phone calls (10%) and being ignored or left out of
things over the internet (9%) (Citron, 2014)
Table 1.7: Cyberbullying in the last couple of months
Males (N=827) Females
(N=1309)
Total (N=2136)
I received prank
calls on my
mobile phone
Did not happen 66.8 (537 / 804) 69.0 (891 / 1292) 68.1(1428 / 2096)
Once or twice 21.3 (171 / 804) 21.7 (280 / 1292) 21.5 (451 / 2096)
Every few
weeks
5.2 (42 / 804) 4.5 (58 / 1292) 4.8 (100 / 2096)
Once a week or
more
6.7 (54 / 804) 4.9 (63 / 1292) 5.6 (117 / 2096)
I was
deliberately
ignored or left
out of things
over the Interne
t
Did not happen 80.4 (643 / 800) 76.7 (991 / 1292) 78.1(1634 / 2092)
Once or twice 11.3 (90 / 800) 13.8 (178 / 1292) 12.8 (268 / 2092)
Every few
weeks
2.8 (22 / 800) 4.3 (56 / 1,292) 3.7 (78 / 2,092)
Once a week or 5.6 (45 / 800) 5.2 (67 / 1,292) 5.4 (112 / 2,092)
12

APPLIED RESEARCH 13
more
Discussion
Most students report not experiencing cyberbullying. Those that have been bullied before
reported receiving prank mobile phone calls and being left out of things over the internet. Female
and male students in Year 10 are more like to experience cyberbullying compared to Year 12
students. Although boys are more likely to be cyberbullies, girls are also as likely as boys.
Female are more involved in cyberbullying compared to male students (Fung, 2010).
The median age of Year 12 students was 17 years. These students when exposed to
cyberbullying react differently. Most develop social anxiety, depression, anti-social behaviors
and some have suicidal thoughts. Cyberbullying lowers the self-esteem of these students and at
the end of it all reduces their performance in and outside the class (Englander, 2012).
The use of internet and technology by the secondary students on daily basis has a
significant role to play in developing relationships (Kinshuk, 2016). The day-to-day use of
social networking sites develops sexual relationships that include sending and receiving
explicit images and messages. This leads to cyberbullying if they get into wrong hands.
However, the use of internet and technology is a strength since reliable and confidential
information can be shared (Chung, 2008). On the other hand, alcohol and drug abuse also
play a role in poor decision making and unwanted sex as reported by sexually active
students in the survey. Moreover, some students going through demanding times or
depression opt to take alcohol or use drugs (like cigarettes and marijuana) to get out of
their misery (Emanuele, et al., 1993).
13

APPLIED RESEARCH 14
One of the limitations of the study was the difficulty in getting schools and
students willing to participate and complete the survey. Also, some states had delays in
obtaining ethical approval for the study and hence forcing some principals to opt out.
Some students who come from certain religious or ethnic groups had fewer chances of
participating in the survey due to their beliefs. Students who had poor English literacy
skills had a grim time in completing the complex questions in the questionnaire. For the
ROS, it was difficult to make sure that only Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12 take part in the
survey. Again, the questionnaire was unsupervised, it is only possible that the students
were distracted by the surroundings affecting their performance (Revilla, 2015).
Lastly, to minimize cyberbullying, parents need to take some certain measures. Parents
need to create email and chats accounts with their children and make sure no personal
information is fed in their profiles. They should create an environment where they can talk about
cyberbullying freely (Inness, LeBlanc, Mireille, & Barling, 2008). Parents should not take away
internet privileges from children who have been cyberbullied. Above all, parents should be keen
to read signs of being bullied as most children will not talk about their experiences unless asked
to (Leeb, Paulozzi, Melanson, & Simon, 2008).
References
14

APPLIED RESEARCH 15
Chung, J. (2008). Comparing Online Activities in China and South Korea: The Internet and the Political
Regime. Asian Survey.
Citron, D. (2014). Hate Crimes in Cyberspace. UK: Harvard University Press.
Emanuele, M., Halloran, M., Uddin, S., Tentler, J., Emanuele, N., Lawrence, A., & Kelly, M. (1993).
Alcohol and the Endocrine System: The effects of alcohol on the neuroendocrine control of
reproduction. National Institute of Health Publications.
Englander, E. (2012). Digital Self-Harm: Frequency, Type, Motivations, and Outcomes. Bridgewater State
University: MARC Research Reports.
Fung, A. L. (2010). he Phenomenon Of Cyberbullying: Its Aetiology And Intervention. Journal Of Youth
Studies, 30-41.
Garrison, D. R., & Anderson, T. (2003). Definitions and Terminology Committee: E-Learning in the 21st
Century. Routledge.
Inness, M., LeBlanc, M., Mireille, & Barling, J. (2008). Psychosocial predictors of supervisor-, peer-,
subordinate-, and service-provider-targeted aggression. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1401–
1411.
Kinshuk, C. N. (2016). Evolution Is not enough: Revolutionizing Current Learning Environments to Smart
Learning Environments. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 1-20.
Kippax, S., Connell, R., Dowsett, G., & Crawford, J. (1993). Sustaining safe sex: gay communities respond
to AIDS. London: Routledge Falmer.
Leeb, R., Paulozzi, L., Melanson, C., & Simon, T. &. (2008). Child Maltreatment Surveillance: Uniform
Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Revilla, M. T. (2015). Who has access to mobile devices in an online opt-in panel? An analysis of potential
respondents for mobile surveys”. In D. Toninelli, R. Pinter, and P. de Pedraza (eds), Mobile
Research Methods: Opportunities and challenges of mobile research methods. London: Ubiquity
Press.
Star, T. N. (2017). Parents Worry More About Cyberbullying Than Drugs, Alcohol.
Tung, L. (2009). Wikileaks spills ACMA blacklist. ZDNet Australia.
15