Alcohol-Specific Parenting as a Mechanism of Parental Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorder Risk on Adolescent Alcohol Use Onset

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective:The primary aim of the current study was to examine three dimensions of alcohol-specifi c parenting (anti-alcohol parenting strategies, parental legitimacy in regulating adolescent drinking, and parental disclosure of negative alcohol experiences) as mechanisms in the prospective relations between parental drinking and alcohol use disorder (recovered, current, and never diagnosed) and adolescent alcohol use initiation. Method: Participants were from an ongoing longitudinal study of the intergenerational transmission of alcoholism. Structural equation modeling was used to test a maternal model (n = 268 adolescents and their mothers) and a paternal model (n = 204 adolescents and their fathers) of alcohol-specifi c parenting. Results: Results indicated that higher levels of drinking among mothers and current alcohol use disorder among fathers were related to more frequent parental disclosure of personal negative experiences with alcohol. Maternal disclosure of negative alcohol experiences mediated the effect of maternal drinking on adolescent onset of alcohol use such that more disclosure predicted a greater likelihood of adolescent drinking initiation at follow-up over and above general parenting. In addition, currently alcoholic mothers were perceived as having less legitimate authority to regulate adolescent drinking, and low levels of legitimacy among fathers was predictive of drinking onset among adolescents. Conclusions: Alcohol-specifi c parenting is a distinct and infl uential predictor of adolescent alcohol use initiation that is partially shaped by parents' own drinking experiences. Moreover, parental conversations about their own personal experiences with alcohol may not represent a form of parent-child communication about drinking that deters adolescent drinking. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 74, 684-693, 2013)

Fathers’ Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorder and Early Onset of Drug Use by Their Children

“…Future research is also needed to determine why fathers' cannabis use disorder is predictive of children's use of alcohol and cannabis. For example, it will be important to determine if affected children are more likely to demonstrate maladaptive development in early childhood (Edwards et al, 2001), if there is a genetic basis to the interfamilial continuity of substance use demonstrated here (Han et al, 2012), or if a cannabis use disorder affects the quality of parenting offered by the father or the family context he creates (Chassin et al, 1993;Handley & Chassin, 2013;Latendresse et al, 2008). Answers to these questions are paramount to the development, implementation, and timing of prevention and inter- vention initiatives aimed at delaying the onset of substance use by children.…”

Parent–child connectedness and communication in relation to alcohol, tobacco and drug use in adolescence: An integrative review of the literature

“…This model highlights the moderating relationship between parenting behaviours, such as PCC, and communication about substance use. Others have used this model to contextualise their findings, that general and substance use specific parenting practises influence adolescent substance use, suggesting the importance of considering the theoretical foundation of future studies within the context of parenting practises (de Leeuw et al, 2010;Handley & Chassin, 2013;Harakeh et al, 2010;Huver et al, 2006Huver et al, , 2007Koning et al, 2014). Conversations about substance use must be two-sided, involving explanations around the health implications of using substances.…”

“…However, such an approach may be detrimental, increasing substance use. When mothers reported high levels of alcohol use, they were more likely to talk about their own negative experiences of alcohol use and when they did so, adolescents were more likely to consume greater amounts of alcohol (Handley & Chassin, 2013). Parental disclosures are also associated with more favourable beliefs towards substance use behaviour (Kam & Middleton, 2013).…”

A latent growth curve analysis of alcohol-use specific parenting and adolescent alcohol use

“…There is evidence suggesting that negative parental attitudes about drinking as reflected in disapproval of alcohol, rules that prohibit drinking in the home, and perceived consequences for getting caught drinking are associated with decreased risk for adolescent alcohol use (Foley et al, 2004; Martino, Ellickson, & McCaffrey, 2009; Kelly et al, 2011; Yu, 2003). Additionally, there is evidence that low levels of adolescent-perceived parental legitimacy to regulate adolescents’ alcohol use predict drinking onset (Handley & Chassin, 2013). Although parental efficacy in preventing substance use and communication of the health risks have been linked to lower risk for cigarette use (Chassin, Presson, Todd, Rose, & Sherman, 1998; Heniksen & Jackson 1998; Jackson & Henriksen 1997; Kodl & Mermelstein, 2004), to our knowledge, these aspects of parenting have not been examined with respect to adolescent drinking.…”