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Bartenders’ and Rum Shopkeepers’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward “Problem Drinking” in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Abstract

Harmful alcohol use encompasses a spectrum of habits, including heavy episodic drinking (HED) which increases the risk of acute alcohol-related harms. The prevalence of HED in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is 5.7% among the overall population aged 15 years and older and 10.2% among drinkers. Responsible Beverage Service interventions train alcohol servers to limit levels of intoxication attained by customers and decrease acute alcohol-related harms. The objectives of this study were to determine bar tenders’ and rum shopkeepers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward problem drinking and willingness to participate in server training. Researchers used convenience and purposive sampling to recruit 30 participants from Barraouile, Kingstown, and Calliaqua to participate in semi-structured interviews designed to explore study objectives. Results and conclusions were derived from grounded theory analysis. Heavy episodic drinking is common but not stigmatized. Heavy drinking is considered a “problem” if the customer attains a level of disinhibition causing drunken and disruptive or injurious behavior. Bartenders and rum shopkeepers reported intervening with visibly intoxicated patrons and encouraging cessation of continued alcohol consumption. Participants cited economic incentives, prevention of alcohol-related harms, and personal morals as motivators to prevent drunkenness. Respondents acknowledged that encouraging responsible drinking was a legitimate part of their role and were favorable to server training. However, there were mixed opinions about the intervention’s perceived efficacy given absent community-wide standards on preventing intoxication and limitations of existing alcohol policy. Given respondents’ motivation and lack of standardized alcohol server training in SVG, mandated server training can be an effective strategy when promoted as one piece of a multi-component alcohol policy.

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Acknowledgements

This project was implemented with the support of our local collaborators at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ministry of Health, Sister Ynolde Smart, Sister Arlitha Scott, and Dr. Karen Providence. We also thank the many Saint Vincentians who contributed in so many ways to our collaboration.

Funding

The Arnhold Institute of Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (there is no associated grant number).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arnhold Institute of Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1257, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA

    Maryam Zafer, Shiyuan Liu & Craig L. Katz

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Craig L. Katz

Authors
  1. Maryam Zafer
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  2. Shiyuan Liu
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  3. Craig L. Katz
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Correspondence to Maryam Zafer.

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All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Institutional Board Approval was granted by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Ministry of Health and the Environment of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Zafer, M., Liu, S. & Katz, C.L. Bartenders’ and Rum Shopkeepers’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward “Problem Drinking” in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Psychiatr Q 89, 801–815 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-018-9577-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-018-9577-4

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