Parenting style may affect how much alcohol teenagers drink, the results of a new study indicate.
According to US researchers, parents do not influence whether their teenage children try alcohol. However they may influence how much they subsequently drink.
The team surveyed almost 5,000 adolescents aged between 12 and 19 about their drinking habits and their relationship with their parents. Specifically, parents' levels of accountability were examined - i.e. knowing where their children spent their time and with whom. Parents' levels of warmth towards their children were also assessed.
Heavy drinking was defined as having five or more drinks in a row.
The study found that the teenagers who were least prone to heavy drinking had parents who scored high on both accountability and warmth.
The teenagers of so-called ‘indulgent' parents, i.e. those low on accountability and high on warmth, were almost three times as likely to participate in heavy drinking.
Those with ‘strict' parents, i.e. high on accountability and low on warmth, were twice as likely to drink heavily.
Source: Deborah Condon, Irish Health, 24/06/2010
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