NCJ Number
218271
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 95-114
Date Published
2006
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the influence of key factors in adolescent alcohol misuse changed over time and whether they varied by gender and race/ethnicity.
Abstract
The study found that mother's binge drinking and school suspension were strong predictors of an adolescent's own alcohol misuse when they were 14-16 years old, but were no longer significant predictors of alcohol misuse 2 years later. In contrast, a strong maternal attachment and school attachment lowered the risk for alcohol misuse when youth were 16-18 years old but not at earlier ages. Having a greater number of friends who drink, peer pressure, and early age of onset of alcohol use remained significant over time, additional predictors of alcohol misuse varied by race and gender. Maternal binge drinking had a greater effect for Whites than non-Whites. Although higher maternal monitoring lowered the risk of alcohol misuse for females, being suspended from school increased their risk. Analyses were based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Young Adults. The original cohort was a nationally representative longitudinal sample of youth ages 14-21 in 1979. Data for the current analyses were taken from the child assessments in 1994 when the youth were 12-14 years old, from the young-adult assessment in 1996 when the youth were 14-16 years old, and in 1998 when they were 16-18 years old. The independent variables (e.g., background characteristics, parental characteristics, and environmental characteristics) were measured in 1994, with the exception of maternal binge drinking, which was measured in 1992. The mediators (deviant behavior, school attachment, and peer drinking) and age of onset of drinking were measured in 1996. The dependent variable (adolescent alcohol consumption) was measured in 1996 and 1998. 3 tables, 3 figures, and 37 references