Alcohol use, family conflicts and parental supervision among high school students

Abstract

The association between alcohol consumption by students with family conflicts, parental supervision and quality of relationships was investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,265 adolescents from 21 scho-ols. The Brazilian version of the Drug Use Screening Inventory/DUSI was used, and absolute and relative prevalence for categorical variables was estimated, while bivariate analyses and Pearson’s Chi Square test were conducted. For the magnitude of the association between the dependent and independent variables, prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson mul-tivariate regression. There was an association between alcohol consumption and drug use by family members, frequent discussions and parental lack of awareness about adolescents’ ac-tivities. Family supervision, a good relationship with parents/guardians, establishing an affective family bond and parents’ knowledge about tee-nagers’ whereabouts, were protective factors for alcohol use. The conclusion was that the high rate of schoolchildren who consume alcohol is worrying, liable to health complications in ge-neral, and a harmonized family relationship is fundamental. The implementation of measures of intervention between school and the Family Health Strategy, can contribute to the establish-ment of a protective bond.