The research, carried out by Diego Palacios, Francisca Román Mella, Francesca Beneventi Balocchi, and Álvaro Castillo-Carniglia, was based on data from 707 students across 27 classrooms in Chile. It analyzed patterns of friendship and alcohol use during adolescence using a type of statistical model (ERGM) that allows researchers to study how social networks are formed while considering multiple factors simultaneously. The findings show that alcohol consumption acts as a factor of affinity but not as an element of prestige or popularity within the school group.

The study selected complete groups of students, such as entire classes or schools, instead of isolated individuals, ensuring representativeness by school type and context (stratified cluster sampling design). This approach aimed to understand how the culture of alcohol consumption, deeply normalized in Chilean society, shapes dynamics of friendship and belonging during adolescence.

The results confirm the homophily hypothesis, which suggests that people tend to form bonds with others who share similar behaviors. However, consuming alcohol does not translate into having more friends or greater popularity, indicating that in contexts where drinking is socially accepted, it ceases to be a symbol of status.

This work provides new evidence for the study of youth socialization behaviors in Chile and offers a foundation for designing context-sensitive prevention strategies that take into account how cultural practices and peer networks influence adolescent behavior.


Read more about the study here!