Anna Tovmasyan
I am a first year PhD student and a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Edge Hill University, Psychology Department, working under the supervision of Professor Derek Heim and Dr Rebecca Monk. My research focuses on alcohol effects on mood and perception of facial expressions. I hold an MSc in Mental Health Research from the University of Nottingham, where my research project focused on alcohol consumption at home (presented a poster on this topic at the SSA Annual Conference 2019), and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Exeter, where my dissertation focused on the perception of social progress and its role in decision to engage in collective action.
Pour Your Own Drink (PYOD): An interactive way to investigate pouring alcohol at home
Aims
An increasing number of people in the UK prefer to consume alcohol at home. However, people may face the problem that when drinking at home, it might be difficult to measure the amount of alcohol consumed. The aim of this research was to investigate how many units of alcohol people pour when drinking at home, and whether people are accurate about estimation of unit content in their drink. Researchers hypothesized that people would underestimate how many units of alcohol they pour for themselves.
Methods
Seventy-four participants (29 males, 43 females, 1 transgender male, 1 transgender female, mean age = 41.39) took part in a study where researchers asked them to choose a glass, a simulated alcoholic drink (wine or spirit), and to pour however much they would at home; then, participants were asked to estimate how many units of alcohol they thought a drink contained. Participants were also asked to fill in a brief demographic questionnaire and an alcohol screening test (AUDIT-C).
Results
Results indicated that people underestimate how many units of alcohol they pour. Mean number of units poured was 2.56. Men poured more units than women, and people who reported drinking more in their daily life poured more units than people who reported drinking less. Additionally, people with higher deprivation score scored higher on AUDIT-C.
Conclusions
People often underestimate how much alcohol they consume, and it could have important implications for healthcare. Some populations are more prone to pouring more units, and therefore should be especially careful when monitoring own alcohol consumption.
Poster link: Pour Your Own Drink (PYOD): An interactive way to investigate pouring alcohol at home