Conformity to masculine norms and its association with drinking behaviors and alcohol-related consequences among adult men: A meta-analysis

Objectives: Studies typically show that men are at higher risk for heavy alcohol use than women. Research linking conformity to masculine norms and drinking behaviors among adult males has grown steadily during the past 10 years. We conducted the first meta-analysis that examines (a) the strength of the associations between conformity to masculine norms and alcohol use outcomes, and (b) the extent to which the strength of these associations would be affected by the specific type of drinking behavior or methodological factors. Methods: We included 35 studies (N=32,412) in this meta-analysis that examined the association between scores on the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI) and alcohol use outcomes. Results: Across all studies, the average correlation between conformity to masculine norms and alcohol variables was small (r = 0.17). The associations between conformity to masculine norms and specific alcohol variables were also modest: alcohol use composite score of frequency and quantity (r = 0.20), binge drinking frequency (r = 0.14), and alcohol-related consequences (r = 0.16). The mean correlation between each CMNI subscale and alcohol variables was also small (alcohol use composite, rs range from 0.07 to 0.22; alcohol-related consequences, rs range from 0.04 to 0.29; frequency of binge drinking, rs range from -0.06 to 0.22). There was a significant difference in effect size by specific type of drinking behavior (i.e., effect sizes for binge drinking were smaller than effect sizes for other alcohol variables). Methodological factors (i.e., CMNI version; sample type: university vs. adult vs. mixed samples; country where the study was conducted) did not affect the associations between masculine norms and the alcohol-outcome variables. Conclusions: Conformity to masculine norms is modestly associated with drinking behaviors and alcohol-related consequences. The effect sizes reported in this meta-analysis can assist in power analyses in future studies on conformity to masculine norms and specific drinking behaviors among adult males.