NCJ Number
161214
Journal
Journal of Studies on Alcohol Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1995) Pages: 457-469
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This research investigated how strongly family bonds, family drug use, age, educational commitment, and peer drug use were associated with the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption among adolescents in Utah and compared male and female alcohol use.
Abstract
Data were obtained from a random sample of 27,000 students in grades 7-12 in 1989. Using questionnaire data from the adolescents, structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the strength of several risk factors. The influence of family bonds was moderately strong but operated primarily through peers; adolescents with stronger family bonds were less likely to have close friends who were involved with drugs. Family bonds had a relatively strong and positive association with educational commitment. Adolescents with a higher educational commitment tended to drink less frequently and, when they drank, tended to consume smaller amounts. Living in a family where other family members had a problem with alcohol or other drugs increased the chance that an adolescent had friends who drank or used other drugs. The authors conclude that family bonding has small but significant direct effects and moderate indirect effects on both the frequency and amount of adolescent alcohol use. Thus, family bonding appears to be an important social control mechanism that may decrease the risk of alcohol abuse by adolescents. 62 references, 5 notes, 4 tables, and 3 figures