Alcohol and Substance Use in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: The Role of Siblings

Abstract

Interpersonal relationships both within and outside the family have been a central part of alcohol and substance use research. Many studies have focused on the role of parents and peers; fewer studies have focused on siblings. This paper examined siblings' roles in ATOD use patterns and trajectories in the context of familial and non-familial factors across time. First, intraclass correlations (ICCs) were used to examine the degree to which older siblings' ATOD use was associated with younger siblings' ATOD use. Second, hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the degree to which individual, parent, sibling and peer factors over time were associated with adolescents' and young adults' ATOD use. It should be noted that developmentally proximal predictors were utilized in these models and within-family replication was also examined. Results demonstrate strong associations between older and younger siblings' ATOD use. Moreover, the developmentally proximal sibling variables were predictive of younger sibling ATOD use in the context of other variables across all substances. Study findings are discussed in terms of identifying promising and potentially malleable points of intervention for future investigators.

Effects of a brief, parent-focused intervention for substance using adolescents and their sibling

“…Multiple studies have demonstrated that siblings show significant levels of similarity for alcohol use in adolescence (Kokkevi, Richardson, Florescu, Kuzman, & Stergar, 2007; Kothari, Sorenson, Bank, & Snyder, 2014; Poelen, Engels, Van Der Vorst, Scholte, & Vermulst, 2007). Siblings close in age show the most synchronous levels of substance use (Kothari et al, 2014; Scholte, Poelen, Willemsen, Boomsma, & Engels, 2008; Trim, Leuthe, & Chassin, 2006) and co-sibling drinking has been shown to be more predictive of alcohol use in adolescence than parental drinking (Kothari et al, 2014; Scholte et al, 2008; Whiteman, Jensen, & Maggs, 2013), and heavy drinking by a sibling has been shown to convey a risk of similar magnitude to peer heavy drinking (Kokkevi, Richardson, et al, 2007).…”

“…Siblings close in age show the most synchronous levels of substance use (Kothari et al, 2014; Scholte, Poelen, Willemsen, Boomsma, & Engels, 2008; Trim, Leuthe, & Chassin, 2006) and co-sibling drinking has been shown to be more predictive of alcohol use in adolescence than parental drinking (Kothari et al, 2014; Scholte et al, 2008; Whiteman, Jensen, & Maggs, 2013), and heavy drinking by a sibling has been shown to convey a risk of similar magnitude to peer heavy drinking (Kokkevi, Richardson, et al, 2007). Sibling collusion regarding deviant activities has also been shown to be related to AOD use (Stormshak, Comeau, & Shepard, 2004).…”

Hispanic/Latino Adolescents' Alcohol Use: Influence of Family Structure, Perceived Peer Norms, and Family Members' Alcohol Use

“…One aspect of family structure pertinent to alcohol use is the presence of siblings. While researchers have found parental drinking to encourage initiation of alcohol use among adolescents, sibling substance use is shown to reinforce and/or amplify the behavior 18,19 . Moreover, adolescents who observe their parents use alcohol to relax or siblings using smoking to facilitate social interaction, might also develop positive attitudes towards these substances and become more likely to engage in substance use themselves 20 .…”

Delinquency Predictors: Offending to Commitment

“…These findings reiterated that there was a strong relationship between older siblings' and younger siblings' substance use. However, siblings and peers appeared to be a powerful influence as the adolescent aged, but parents had a strong influence on their child's substance use early on in life (Kothari et al, 2014). Thus, family influence is a significant predictor of juvenile substance use.…”

“…In addition to research displaying the strong relationship between generational offending and juvenile offending, substance use has also been revealed as intergenerational (Adler & Lotecka, 1973;Beardslee, Son, & Vaillant, 1986;Craig & Brown, 1975;Kothari, Sorenson, Bank, & Snyder, 2014;McDermott, 1984;Needle, McCubbin, Wilson, Reineck, Lazar, & Mederer, 1986;Tec, 1974). One study on the relationship between parental substance use and adolescent drug use examined a sample of 106 adolescent drug users and compared them to 96 non-drug using juveniles.…”