The relationship between perceived parental leniency, access to alcohol at home, and alcohol consumption and consequences among rural adolescents.

Abstract

Adolescent alcohol use is a significant problem in rural areas resulting in a myriad of mental and behavioral health consequences. Previous research has explored the role of parental and home-based influences on adolescent alcohol consumption, but less is known about the associations between ease of drinking at home, adolescents' perceptions of parents' leniency toward alcohol use, and alcohol-related consequences like drinking and driving. This study uses data from a large-scale survey (N = 830) of diverse high school students in the rural South. Utilizing multiple and logistic regression analysis, it explores the relationship between perceived parental leniency toward alcohol and ease of drinking at home and the outcomes of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. Ease of drinking at home was related to alcohol consumption, binge drinking, driving after drinking, riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking, and perceived danger of driving after drinking after 5 or more drinks. Perceived parental upset was also related to alcohol consumption and perceived danger of driving after drinking 1-2 drinks. Additionally, analyses indicated that White adolescent males are an especially high-risk group. This study illustrates the important role that parents and guardians play in regards to rural adolescents' alcohol use and their alcohol-related consequences. Future interventions should seek to include a parental education component to limit potential alcohol-related harm among this population., (C) 2020 by the American Psychological Association