SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON DRINKING DURING PREGNANCY

The influence of social networks on the drinking practices of pregnant women was examined. Pregnant women (n = 153) were classified accordin g to whether they were heavy or light drinkers just before pregnancy a nd whether they reduced their alcohol risk status after pregnancy reco gnition. Failure to reduce alcohol risk status following pregnancy rec ognition among initially heavy drinkers was associated with reporting drinking as a social activity and difficulty in resisting social press ure to drink. There was also evidence that failure to reduce drinking was associated with greater approval for drinking during pregnancy and more frequent serving of alcohol among the social network. Findings s uggest that interventions designed to reduce drinking among pregnant w omen help them to find alternative social activities and to develop st rategies for resisting pressure to drink.