ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL USE NORMS AND FAMILY PROCESSES

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Adolescent drinking patterns are rooted in the home environment, as parents socialize their children concerning alcohol use and-serve as early models of drinking behavior. The development of drinking patterns is, however, more complex than simple imitation of parental drinking behavior. Parental norms for adolescent alcohol use may be more influential than the alcohol-related behavior the parents model. Little is known, however, about the family processes that contribute to adolescents' acceptance of their parents' norms for alcohol use. We propose to test a developmental model describing the .conditions that foster the transmission of parents' norms for adolescent use. We focus on rural families, a group with high alcohol-use rates that has typically been ignored by researchers. The proposal incorporates the following variables: parental control style, parent-adolescent communication, parental warmth, convergence between parents on norms for adolescent alcohol use, interparental conflict, and parental drinking behavior. Assessments of adolescent and peer drinking behavior and norms, for alcohol use will also be obtained. To assess these constructs, we propose a multimethod design Using self-reports from mothers, fathers, adolescents, and friends, as well as observations of mother/father/adolescent interactions. A representative sample of 220 families will be recruited from a 10-county health district in Northeast Georgia.