Providing Alcohol for Underage Youth: What Messages Should We Be Sending Parents?

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: There have been confl icting fi ndings in the literature concerning the risks to adolescents when parents provide them with alcohol. Studies have examined various ways in which parents directly affect adolescent alcohol consumption through provision (e.g., parental offers, parental allowance/supervision, parental presence while drinking, and parental supply). This review synthesizes fi ndings on the direct ways parental provision can infl uence a child's alcohol consumption and related problems in an effort to provide parents with sciencebased guidance. We describe potential mechanisms of the relationship between these parental infl uences and adolescent problems, suggest future directions for research, and discuss implications for parents. Method: Twenty-two studies (a mix of cross-sectional and longitudinal) that empirically examined the association between parental provision and adolescent drinking outcomes were reviewed. Results: Parental provision was generally associated with increased adolescent alcohol use and, in some instances, increased heavy episodic drinking as well as higher rates of alcohol-related problems. Data in support of the view that parental provision serves as a protective factor in the face of other risk factors were equivocal. Conclusions: The nature and extent of the risks associated with parental provision, and the potential mechanisms underlying this association, are complex issues. Although more rigorous studies with longitudinal designs are needed, parents should be aware of potential risks associated with providing adolescents with alcohol and a place to drink. It is recommended that parents discourage drinking until adolescents reach legal age. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 75, 590-605, 2014)

Parents Who Supply Sips of Alcohol in Early Adolescence: A Prospective Study of Risk Factors

“…9 However, the limited research on factors associated with parental supply has focused on parental attitudes, used only cross-sectional designs, or focused on supply of whole drinks. 9,[21][22][23] There are no prospective studies investigating what parent and adolescent characteristics predict parental supply of sips. The lack of such prospective research runs the risk that the reasons for supply provided by parents are post hoc explanations and may obscure some antecedents of supply.…”

The drinking habits of youth in NSW, Australia: latest data and influencing factors

“…This is because a barrier to drinking alcohol is removed, which challenges the perception that parental provision of alcohol is protective. 16 Livingston explores the phenomenon of increasing numbers of young people in Australia and internationally choosing to not drink alcohol. 17 Livingston argues that waves of rising and falling consumption patterns (both in Australia and internationally) could be related to increases in alcohol-related harm, followed by increases in social concern and then subsequent reductions in Note: Ever consumed alcohol includes just a few sips and whole drinks.…”

Should Parents Allow Their Adolescent Children to Drink at Home? Family Factors as Predictors of Alcohol Involvement Trajectories Over 15 Years

“…Up to 30% of parents report allowing their children to drink at home under at least some circumstances (American Medical Association, 2005;Jackson et al, 1999;Kaynak et al, 2014;Komro et al, 2007). Rates are even higher when adolescents' perceptions of parental provision of alcohol and alcohol availability at home are included (Komro et al, 2007).…”

“…Discrepant findings may reflect a variety of methodological differences, including differences (a) in the age, gender, and racial composition of the samples; (b) between crosssectional and longitudinal designs and, among longitudinal studies, in the length of follow-up; and (c) in the way that both predictors and outcomes are assessed, including whether parental or adolescent reports of parental drinking policy (i.e., parents' terms of allowance and supply of adolescents' alcohol use) are used (Kaynak et al, 2014). Especially in studies relying solely on adolescent reports, it may not always be clear whether the parent actually allows drinking at home or whether the adolescent knows that alcohol can be surreptitiously obtained at home or believes (perhaps erroneously) that the parent would allow him or her to drink at home.…”

“…Although this issue is not new (Zinberg, 1984), it remains a hotly debated topic (Epstein, 2010;van der Vorst et al, 2010avan der Vorst et al, , 2010b, in part because the scientific literature has failed to yield a clear answer. Longitudinal research over extended periods that examines multiple risk factors simultaneously in a racially mixed sample is especially lacking (Kaynak et al, 2014). Therefore, the current study addresses these issues by longitudinally examining the effects of drinking at home on trajectories of alcohol involvement from adolescence into young adulthood using a community sample of adolescents and their parents.…”