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Objectives: This study examines the trend of alcohol-related research, with a specific focus on problem drinking and related variables, to provide evidence for prevention and intervention of alcohol related problems as well as for alcohol public policy in Korea. Methods: For the study, research studies published between 1990 and 2013 were analyzed. Forty-three research articles were included for meta-analysis. The main focus of the analysis was on examining the effect size of correlation coefficients of variables related to problem drinking. Results: From the 43 articles, 304 variables were extracted under individual, family, social environment, and demographic variable groups. Overall, more studies focused on individual variables compared to environmental variables. Results showed that Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA), level of consumption, motivation, expectancy showed high effect size, followed by drinking culture, social relationship, and family members’ drinking. Conclusion: The study results point to the importance of more research focusing on macro or societal influence of alcohol related problems. Alcohol policy should include more specific contents that target changing the tolerant drinking culture in Korea.

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between drinking level and nicotine dependence to provide useful information for health promotion programs. Methods: The participants were 308 university students who were using alcohol and cigarettes concurrently.Drinkinglevelwasmeasured by the AUDIT and nicotine dependence was measured by the FTND. The statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics, t-test, F-test, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: First, drinking level, nicotine dependence, and stress are significantly highly associated. Specifically, nicotine dependence and stress were correlated with drinking level. Second, multiple linear regression analysis showed that drinking level had a strong causality on nicotine dependence. Conclusion: This study found that drinking level had a greater effect on nicotine dependence. Alcohol drinking is likely to be the cause of smoking, and alcohol prevention will be more important than smoking in health promotion programs for university students.

Objective: The present study examined problem drinking and risk drinking experiences and their associated factors in juvenile offenders. Method: The survey was conducted on adolescent inmates aged 13 and 18 years old at 10 detention centers through a self-administered questionnaire in 2012. Data of problem drinking experiences were analysed for 1,525 inmates and those of risk drinking were analysed for 1,780 inmates. Result: Of the adolescent offenders, 79.4% showed problem drinking experiences. Delinquent adolescents were 1.85 times more likely to experience problem drinking than non-delinquent adolescents. Findings showed that problem drinking and risk drinking experiences were more common among adolescents who were girls and middle school students, had low academic performance, were not living with their parents, and experienced smoking/drug use relative to their counterparts. Conclusion: The study results showed that problem drinking experiences were linked to juvenile delinquency. Therefore, interventions which address health risk behaviors should be developed and implemented to prevent the juvenile delinquency.

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of problem drinking and alcohol related factors on malicious crime. Methods: Subjects in this study were 2,485 offenders. Data were analyzed by frequency, t-test, and logistic regression. Results: Higher problem drinking rates were seen in subjects with a second offense, drinking at crime, and less than 19 years old at first drink. No spouse, low education, antisocial personality, second offense, less than 19 years old at first drink, drinking at crime, and problem drinking were significantly related to malicious crime. Less than 19 years old at first drink increased the risk of malicious crime. Drinking during the crime and problem drinking increased the risk of malicious crime. Conclusion: This study confirmed that alcohol related factors increased risk of malicious crime. Additional research is needed to determine causality of alcohol related factor. Suggestions of comprehensive intervention were discussed.

Objectives: This study is intended to reveal how social support affect A.A.members’ mental health. The objective is to ascertain whether spirituality and insight mediate by examining the effects of spirituality and insight, and investigates the path process among variables. Method: To achieve this objective, social supports were defined as independent variables, spirituality and insight as mediating variables, and mental health as the dependent variable. Subjects for this study consisted of 375 A.A.members. The results of the study are summarized as follows. Result: First, the study showed that the higher the A.A.member's social support the lesser the level of mental health problems. Employment was the most influential factor on mental health. Second, the higher the A.A.member's social support the higher the level of spirituality and insight. Third, social support influenced mental health thorough spirituality and insight. This indicated that social support had a direct influence on mental health, and spirituality and insight had a mediating effect on the relationship between social support and mental health. Conclusion: Study implications were discussed in terms of ways to improve psychiatric social worker’s programs with regard to rehabilitation and treatment methods for chronic alcoholic patients.

Objectives: This study examines the mediation role of drinking motives between alcohol drinking expectancies and employee drinking behavior at the workplace. Methods: The participants were 621 Korean workers who working for small and medium business in Daegu and Gyeonsangbukdo. This study tested mediating effects of employee drinking motives between alcohol expectancies and drinking behavior at workplace. Collected data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0. Results: Both positive and negative alcohol drinking expectancy significantly affected on alcohol drinking behavior and alcohol drinking motives. There was a significant mediating effect on alcohol drinking behavior of positive alcohol drinking expectancy with enhancement motive, coping motive, and social motive. Finally, the mediating effect of alcohol drinking motive on the relationship between negative alcohol drinking expectancy and alcohol drinking behavior of worker did not have a significantly influence. Conclusion: This result suggested that drinking motives would be significant role as antecedents factor on employee alcohol drinking behavior at the workplace. In conclusion, the present study provided some theoretical and practical implications in addition to limitations.

Objectives: This study investigated factors related with inflicting school violence among adolescents, and examined relative accountability of those variables for inflicting school violence. Researchers analyzed the associations of peer deviant conformity, exposure to violence in media, and conflicts with parents, including alcohol consumption with school violence among high school students. Methods: The participants were 242 high school students (127 males and 115 females) who were taking special guidance for behavioral problems, with ages ranging from 14 to 18. Results: Results revealed that males showed higher levels of peer deviant conformity, exposure to violence in media, and dangerous drinking of alcohol than females. Students who drink more alcoholic beverages showed higher peer deviant conformity, exposure to violence in media, conflicts with parents, and inflicting school violence than students who drink less alcohol beverages or do not drink. Correlational analysis results indicated that all psychosocial variables in this study and alcohol consumption were significantly correlated with inflicting school violence. Accountability of alcohol consumption, peer deviant conformity, exposure to violence in media, conflicts with parents and gender was around 32.4%. In multiple regression analysis, dangerous alcohol consumption, peer deviant conformity, and exposure to violence in media were the only significant predictors for inflicting school violence. Conclusion: Peer deviant conformity was a determinant variable for inflicting school violence, and dangerous alcohol consumption and exposure of violence had additional accountability. Based on these results, researchers discussed and recommended information for further studies.