The relationship between parental attitudes and children's alcohol use: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

AimsThe main aim was to assess the relationship between parental attitudes towards children's alcohol use and their child's alcohol use. Secondary aims included assessing the relationship between attitudes reported by parents and those perceived by children, and between perceived parental attitudes and children's alcohol use. Methods Meta-analysis of studies reporting on the associations between parental attitudes towards children's alcohol use and children's self-reported alcohol use. Published, peerreviewed cross-sectional and longitudinal studies were identified from the following databases up to April 2018: Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science. Quality assessment was done by using guidelines developed by Hayden, Cote and Bombardier. Pooled effect sizes were calculated by using random-effects meta-analyses, if there were at least two studies that could be included per analysis. Out of 7,479 articles screened, 29 were included comprising data from 16,477 children and 15,229 parents. ResultsLess restrictive parental attitudes towards children's alcohol use were related to higher rates of alcohol use initiation (odds ratio (OR)=1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-1.80), alcohol use frequency (OR=1.52, 95% CI 1.24-1.86) and drunkenness (OR=1.58, 95% CI 1.35-1.85) among children. Less perceived restrictive parental attitudes were related to higher alcohol use frequency (OR=1.76 (95% CI 1.29-2.40). Perceived parental attitudes were not clearly related to alcohol use initiation. Parent-reported attitudes and perceived parental attitudes were weakly positively correlated (r=0.27, p=≤0.001). The strength of the relationship between parental attitudes and children's alcohol use frequency attenuated with children's age. Study design, sample size, study location and levels of alcohol use frequency did not have a detectable effect on the relationship. ConclusionsLess restrictive parental attitudes towards children's alcohol use are associated with increases in children's alcohol use onset, alcohol use frequency and drunkenness. Children's perception of less restrictive parental attitudes is associated with children's alcohol use.

The Association Between Family Environment and Adolescent Alcohol Drinking Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study of Six Chinese Cities

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Relationship of Parental Support on Healthy Habits, School Motivations and Academic Performance in Adolescents

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Incipient alcohol use in childhood: Early alcohol sipping and its relations with psychopathology and personality

“…Fourth, although consistent with effect sizes reported in the literature (e.g., Gunn & Smith, 2010; Jackson, Colby et al, 2015), our observed effects were small in magnitude, explaining no more than 3% of the variance in sipping altogether. The existing literature points to several other factors important in the development of sipping, which can be organized into at least five sets of factors: (a) dispositional and psychopathological characteristics like the ones we explored, (b) demographic characteristics, which include being male, White, and participating in a religion where alcohol consumption is at least somewhat religiously sanctioned (Lisdahl et al, in preparation); (c) physical context, including within-home alcohol availability and allied parenting practices that provide exposure to alcohol (e.g., asking the child to fetch or open an alcoholic beverage; Jackson et al, 2013; Jackson, Colby et al, 2015; Tael-Öeren, Naughton, & Sutton, 2019) or encourage consumption of alcohol (Wadolowski et al, 2015); (d) other “proximal” factors, such as drinking motives and alcohol expectancies; and (e) other social or contextual factors, including perceived sibling and peer (Trucco, Colder, & Wieczorek, 2011) approval of drinking, general peer delinquency, and general parental monitoring, warmth, control, support, and conflict (Donovan & Molina, 2008; Jackson, Colby et al, 2015).…”