Pilot Intervention to Increase Parent-Child Communication About Alcohol Avoidance

• NCJ Number: 188766
• Journal: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: Winter, 2000 Pages: 59-70
• Author(s): Joan M. Carlson; Michele J. Moore; Deborah M. Pappas; Chudley E. Werch; Graham F. Watts; Patricia A. Edgemon
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): AA9283
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether a series of postcards that addressed specific alcohol risk and protective factors, sent to the parents/guardians of preadolescents in two different school settings, influenced parent-child communication regarding alcohol use.

Abstract

Subjects included parents of participating sixth grade students attending one neighborhood and one magnet inner-city school. Participating students were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Baseline data were collected from students, enabling the intervention to be tailored to students’ individual needs. Parents of students assigned to the intervention were mailed up to ten prevention postcards over five weeks. Parents completed a ten-item telephone survey eight weeks after implementation of the prevention postcards. The overall parent response rate was 74 percent. Results indicated that postcards increased parent-child communication regarding alcohol use, but that these effects differed by school setting and race. Although significant effects were found for the intervention group, further analysis revealed that effects were found only for white parents at the magnet school. However, black parents/guardians and neighborhood parents/guardians appear to have been more likely to already be talking to their child about alcohol. These differences in parent-child communication about alcohol may be because parents/guardians are less aware of the probability or severity of the consequences of alcohol abuse in their neighborhood, or lack confidence in their ability to influence their children’s drinking. Further research should examine: whether parent-child communication about preventing alcohol use differs across inner-city school settings, and if so, why; the effect of ethnicity in influencing parent-child communication about alcohol and drug prevention at home; the role school setting and ethnicity play in the efficacy of home-based interventions to enhance family prevention communication; and the effect of this type of intervention on parents/guardians of students of various grade levels. 1 table, 26 references.