O consumo de álcool por homens universitários: uma análise metacognitiva

Abstract

Metacognition is defined as knowledge about one's cognitive processes, including metacognitive knowledge, experience, and beliefs. Metacognitive knowledge involves understanding which factors or variables act and interact in ways that affect the course and outcome of cognitive activities, divided into three factors: person, task, and strategy. Metacognitive experiences encompass any conscious cognitive or affective experiences accompanying and referring to any intellectual event. Metacognitive beliefs are categorized into positive beliefs, such as coping strategies affecting mental states, and negative beliefs related to the meaning, control, and danger associated with certain types of thoughts. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption in male university students and the aforementioned metacognitive constructs. Sixty-eight male university students aged 18 to 31 participated in the research, responding to a questionnaire with questions related to metacognitive constructs, alcohol consumption, and agreement with social norms expected of men. The questionnaire included the following instruments: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which aims to identify different levels of alcohol consumption; the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI-29), evaluating adherence to behaviors considered masculine for men; the Positive Alcohol Metacognitions Scale (PAMS) and Negative Alcohol Metacognitions Scale (NAMS), analyzing positive and negative metacognitions about alcohol consumption, respectively. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics through JASP (Jeffrey's Amazing Statistics Program). Results indicated a strong correlation between positive metacognitions and alcohol consumption, with moderate correlations found for the association with negative metacognitions. No significant relationships were found between alcohol consumption and most categories of conformity to masculine norms.