Work

Investigating Associations Between Perceived Parental Alcohol-Related Messages and College Student Drinking

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: A debate remains regarding whether parents should teach their children harm-reduction tips for using alcohol while in college or whether they should maintain a zero-tolerance policy. Which type of alcohol-related communication parents should endorse is not empirically clear. The current study made use of a longitudinal measurement-burst design to examine this issue. METHOD: The sample consisted of 585 second-year students from a large university in the northeastern United States. Participants completed a baseline survey and 14 daily web-based surveys. Students were assessed for perceptions of parental alcohol-related messages and their own alcohol use. Multilevel models were estimated using HLM 6.04. RESULTS: The data indicate that zero-tolerance messages appeared most protective against alcohol use and consequences. Harm-reduction messages were most risky, even when compared with mixed messages or the absence of a message. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that a zero-tolerance approach was associated with safer outcomes than other messages, even if students were already using alcohol.

Source: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2012.73.71

Authors: Caitlin C. Abar, Nicole R. Morgan, Meg L. Small, Jennifer L. Maggs

Institutions: Brown University, Pennsylvania State University

Language: English

Topic: Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism