A developmental approach examining social and personal correlates in relation to alcohol use over time

Parent substance use as a predictor of adolescent use: A six-year lagged analysis

The present study investigated the role of parental use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana on lagged changes in the specific substance use of their adolescent offspring over a six-year period. The analyses also examined the relative influence of mothers and fathers and their interaction as moderated by marital status and age and gender of the adolescent. A generalized estimating equations approach, analogous to quasi-like-lihood, was employed to estimate regression coefficients via an iterative weighted least squares algorithm. Findings indicated that, when employed as time-varying covariates, parental substance use resulted in substance-specific effects on fluctuations in the adolescent's own use. Age, parent marital status, and each parent's marijuana use independently were jound to significantly affect adolescent marijuana use. In contrast, the complex relationship between parent and adolescent use of alcohol and cigarettes showed variation by substance, age, and gender of both parents and adolescents. Within a developmental context, the results suggest that parent use of substances must be considered risk factors with particular effects on their younger offspring. Thus, prevention efforts should be directed at middle childhood and include components aimed at parents as well as their children.

Association of contextual factors with drug use and binge drinking among White, Native American, and Mixed-Race adolescents in the general population

Large-scale surveys have shown elevated risk for many indicators of substance abuse among Native American and Mixed-Race adolescents compared to other minority groups in the United States. This study examined underlying contextual factors associated with substance abuse among a nationally representative sample of White, Native American, and Mixed-Race adolescents 12-17 years of age, using combined datasets from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH 2006-2009, N = 46,675, 48.77 % female). Native American adolescents displayed the highest rate of past-month binge drinking and past-year illicit drug use (14.06 and 30.91 %, respectively). Results of a logistic regression that included seven predictors of social bonding, individual views of substance use, and delinquent peer affiliations showed that friendships with delinquent peers and negative views of substance use were associated significantly with both substance abuse outcomes among White and Mixed-Race adolescents and, to a lesser extent, Native American adolescents. The association of parental disapproval with binge drinking was stronger for White than for Native American adolescents. Greater attention to specific measures reflecting racial groups' contextual and historical differences may be needed to delineate mechanisms that discourage substance abuse among at-risk minority adolescent populations.

Children's introduction to alcohol use: sips and tastes

BACKGROUND

Sipping or tasting alcohol is one of the earliest alcohol use behaviors in which young children engage, yet there is relatively little research on this behavior. The present research describes the prevalence of sipping or tasting in a community sample of children, examines the sociodemographic correlates and social contexts of this behavior, and tests whether variables reflecting psychosocial problem-behavior proneness, that predict adolescent drinking, account for this behavior.

METHODS

A sample of 452 children (238 girls) aged 8 or 10 and their families was drawn from Allegheny County PA using targeted-age directory sampling and random digit dialing procedures. Children were interviewed using computer-assisted interviews. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the univariate and multivariate correlates of sipping/tasting.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine percent of the sample had only sipped or tasted alcohol (35% of 8 year olds and 48% of 10 year olds), while 6% reported having had a drink of alcohol (5% and 7%, respectively). African-American children were less likely than White children to be sippers. Neither gender nor mother's education related to sipping status. Most sipping was done in a family context. Sipping/tasting did not generally relate to variables reflecting psychosocial proneness for problem behavior. Instead, the variables most predictive of sipping/tasting were perceived parents' drinking status, perceived parents' approval for child sipping, mother's drinking frequency, and children's attitudes toward sipping/tasting alcohol.

CONCLUSIONS

Young children's sipping/tasting of alcohol reflects parental modeling of alcohol use and increased opportunities to try alcohol in the home rather than deliberate family socialization of alcohol use, and appears not to be a precocious manifestation of a psychosocial proneness to engage in problem behavior.

Alcohol use in adolescents whose fathers abuse drugs

This study examined the interrelation of several domains, including father attributes, father-child relations, peer influences, environmental factors, and youth personality, as they related to adolescent alcohol use. Several aspects of the father-child relationship were also examined as possible protective factors against adolescent drinking. Subjects consisted of 204 HIV-positive and HIV-negative drug-abusing fathers and their adolescent children between the ages of 12-20. Data were collected via individual structured interviews of both the fathers and the youth. Results indicated that several items from each domain were related to adolescent drinking, and that an affectionate father-child bond had a protective effect. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that the youth's personality mediated between all other domains and adolescent alcohol use. There was also a direct effect of peer influences on adolescent drinking. Findings extend the literature on the specific mechanisms which link parental substance use with adolescent alcohol use in a high-risk population.

Peer and partner drinking and the transition to marriage: a longitudinal examination of selection and influence processes

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among adult drinking, partner drinking, and peer drinking over the transition to marriage. Newlywed couples were assessed with respect to alcohol involvement, peer drinking, and risk factors and reassessed at their 1st anniversary. Husbands' premarital drinking was predictive of wives' drinking at the 1st anniversary, indicating partner influence. The results did not support a peer-influence hypothesis in that peer drinking at marriage was not predictive of husbands' or wives' drinking at the 1st anniversary. There was evidence, however, for a peer-selection effect with husbands' premarital drinking predicting peer drinking for both husbands and wives. Wives' premarital drinking was unrelated to the subsequent drinking of their peers or their husbands' peers.

A developmental analysis of sociodemographic, family, and peer effects on adolescent illicit drug initiation

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of sociodemographic, family, and peer predictors on the developmental patterns of illicit drug initiation from ages 12 to 21 years.

METHOD

A gender-balanced, ethnically diverse urban sample of 808 children in Seattle was surveyed at age 10 in 1985 and followed prospectively to age 21 in 1996. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to assess the effects of sociodemographic, family, and peer factors on the risk of initiation.

RESULTS

The risk for initiating illicit drug use increased steadily from ages 12 to 21. High family conflict, low family bonding, and high peers' antisocial activities predicted higher risk of initiation across this developmental period. The effect of family bonding began to decline after age 18, while the effect of peers' antisocial activities began to increase after age 15. Few gender and ethnic differences were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention programs need to include family and peer factors as important targets. Parents should create a warm and supportive family environment with appropriate supervision and control throughout adolescence. Association with antisocial peers should be reduced, especially in high school. Interventions addressing these family and peer factors should have beneficial effects across gender and ethnic groups.

The Importance of Father Love: History and Contemporary Evidence

This article explores the cultural construction of fatherhood in America, as well as the consequences of this construction as a motivator for understudying fathers—especially father love—for nearly a century in developmental and family research. It then reviews evidence from 6 categories of empirical studies showing the powerful influence of fathers’ love on children's and young adults’ social, emotional, and cognitive development and functioning. Much of this evidence suggests that the influence of father love on offspring's development is as great as and occasionally greater than the influence of mother love. Some studies conclude that father love is the sole significant predictor of specific outcomes after controlling for the influence of mother love. Overall, father love appears to be as heavily implicated as mother love in offsprings’ psychological well-being and health, as well as in an array of psychological and behavioral problems.

Drinking and parental unpredictability among adult children of alcoholics: a pilot study

Within-family differences that mediate the relationship between family history for alcoholism and alcohol consumption were investigated. Twenty adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and 20 children of social drinking parents (non-ACOAs) were interviewed in 1991 (mean age 24.2 years). Participants described family functioning while growing up and indices of their alcohol consumption. Family history for alcoholism had a direct association with two aspects of drinking. ACOAs reported more lifetime drinks and tended to report drinking more frequently during high school, as compared to non-ACOAs. ACOAs also reported more parental unpredictability, which in turn was associated with the above drinking indices. Finally, family history for alcoholism had an indirect association with drinking, as unpredictability mediated this relationship. Research and prevention implications are discussed.

The effects of perceived parental behaviors, attitudes, and substance-use on adolescent attitudes toward and intent to use psychoactive substances

The effects of parental behaviors, attitudes, and drug-use as perceived by adolescents on the latter's attitudes toward and intent to use psychoactive substances were studied. Perceived parental rejection, acceptance, and attitudes significantly differentiated between adolescents who reported favorable attitudes toward and high intent to use substances and those who expressed less favorable attitudes. On most parameters, the father's influence was significant, whereas the effect of the mother did not reach significance. Positive and significant relationships were also found between perceived parental rejection, acceptance, and attitudes and adolescent attitudes and intent to use psychoactive substances. No relationships were found between controlling parental behavior and adolescent attitudes and intent to use psychoactive substances. The role of the parents, as well as implications of the findings for prevention are discussed.

Developmental variations in factors related to initial and increased levels of adolescent drug involvement

The impact of maternal and adolescent factors on initial and increased levels of drug use by adolescents was examined in two groups of adolescents: 210 younger adolescents (ages 12-14 at initial assessment) and 199 older adolescents (ages 15-18). The adolescents and their mothers were interviewed at 2 points in time, 3 years apart. The results indicated that adolescent unconventionality is a crucial determinant for both initial and increased levels of drug use for both age groups, but intrapsychic distress is more important for the younger adolescent's initial use. Lack of maternal attachment and poor control techniques were associated with initial levels of drug use for both groups. However, the mother-child relationship and models of the mother's unconventionality had a greater impact on the older than on the younger group's increased involvement. Interactive results suggest that adolescents from both age groups who are well adjusted can offset the potential risks of maternal models of drug use.

Peer and parental influences on male adolescent drinking

Using data from males aged 16-19 in Buffalo, NY, the present study examines two social mechanisms by which parents and peers influence adolescent drinking--behavioral and attitudinal transmission--and compares the patterns of behavioral and attitudinal transmission for parents and for peers. The study also assesses the relative importance of parents and peers in accounting for adolescent alcohol behavior. The findings indicate that both alcohol behavior and attitudes of parents and peers are significant predictors of adolescent drinking. However, the prediction patterns are reversed. Parental attitudes are more important than parental alcohol behavior, while peer alcohol behavior is more important than peer attitudes. Overall, peers have more influence on adolescent drinking than parents. There is a significant interaction of parental alcohol-related attitudes and age, which indicates that parental alcohol-related attitudes exert a greater effect on younger (i.e., age 16-17) males' alcohol use.

Alcohol-related predictors of adolescent driving: gender differences in crashes and offenses

Demographic and alcohol-related data collected from eight-grade students (age 13 years) were used in logistic regression to predict subsequent first-year driving crashes and offenses (age 17 years). For young men's crashes and offenses, good-fitting models used living situation (both parents or not), parents' attitude about teen drinking (negative or neutral), and the interaction term. Young men who lived with both parents and reported negative parental attitudes regarding teen drinking were less likely to have crashes and offenses. For young women's crashes, a good-fitting model included friends' involvement with alcohol. Young women who reported that their friends were not involved with alcohol were least likely to have crashes. No model predicting young women's offenses emerged.

The influence of parent, sibling, and peer modeling and attitudes on adolescent use of alcohol

This 1-year prospective study of 173 families with two or more children examines the influence of parent, sibling, and peer modeling (i.e., use) and attitudes on adolescent use of alcohol. Independent questionnaire data were obtained from the adolescent, father, mother, and sibling(s). Structural equation modeling methods were employed to examine these relationships. Parent attitude toward youth alcohol use and parent modeling of alcohol use were strongly related to change in adolescent alcohol use, suggesting that parents can influence the future use of alcohol by their children. Peer and sibling modeling and peer attitudes also influenced adolescent alcohol use.