The relationship between social network family psychosocial climate and adolescent alcohol use

Abstract

The primary objective of the present study was to determine the relationship between social network, family psychosocial climate, and the extent of drinking, including alcohol-related negative events, among adolescents. Subjects were 450 students in grades 7 to 12 from secondary schools in the Halifax region (mean age = 15.3 years). These subjects completed a questionnaire battery which included items pertaining to the quantity and frequency of alcohol use (QF Index), the Straus Bacon Problem Drinking Scale (SBPDS), the Social Relationship Questionnaire, and the Family Environment Scale (FES). The findings indicate that 73.6% of the students drink alcohol. Bivariate correlational and Multiple Regression analyses revealed that age and number of drinking friends in the network explained the majority of the variance of QF and SBPDS score. Control, Conflict, and Intellectual-Cultural Orientation subscale scores of the FES significantly increased the explained variance of both drinking measures. Some interesting gender differences emerged regarding the relationship of the FES subscales to drinking. Implications of this study include (1) developing intervention efforts to impact on the adolescents' alcohol use within the context of their network, (2) teaching effective parenting skills with an emphasis on increasing parental control and decreasing familial conflict, and (3) exploring adult drinking behavior for its effect on youth alcohol use patterns.