Parental influences have been hypothesized to be among the most significant influences on teenage alcohol consumption. Parental influence is probably manifested primarily through the mediums of instruction, contingent reinforcement, and modeling; as well as through the more subtle influences of parental attitudes and beliefs about alcohol, and the overall parent-child relationship. Unfortunately, this hypothesis has been a difficult one to confirm experimentally and investigators have had to rely upon correlational techniques. The problems concerning cause-and-effect conclusions inherent to correlational studies have been exacerbated by using not only the adolescents' self reports, but their perceptions of their parents' behavior as well. / The present research sought to overcome this short coming by gathering data from not just the teenagers, but their mothers and fathers too. The sample of children were selected to demographically approximate the State of Florida. The 590 children in grades four through twelve were members of 490 families. Analogous questionnaires were completed by 315 mothers and 296 fathers. Data gathered from the teenagers, mothers, and fathers included self-reported frequency, quantity, and greatest amount consumed in the preceding 30 days as well as their perceptions of other family members' drinking. Besides the usual demographics, questions tapped attitudes about teenage drinking, family communication, relative influence of parents and peers, and the general relationship between parents and child. Test-retest correlations were strong, reflecting reliability over time. Validity data gathered from response convergence, archival comparisons, and convergence among collaterals were all favorable. / Multiple regression correlation techniques used a set of relevant independent variables to predict teenage consumption. Hierarchical and hierarchical-stepwise regressions were also used to enhance the precision of certain predictors. Discriminant analysis was employed to examine the systematic differences between abstainers and drinkers. / The results suggest that parental behavior and attitudes, as reported by the parents, has a minimal effect on offspring consumption and exert considerably less influence than parental behaviors as perceived by their offspring. Implications for other issues, such as the efficacy of parental behavior, the interaction between parental and peer influences, and the difference in risk factors for abstainers and users was discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-08, Section: B, page: 3437. / Major Professor: Alan R. Lang. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77838 |
| Contributors | Gelernter, Spencer H., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 327 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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