Child / Adolescent - Externalizing
.jpg "McKenzie K. Watson, B.A. photo")
McKenzie K. Watson, B.A.
Doctoral Student, Counseling Psychology
University of North Texas
Dallas, Texas
Kamar Y. Tazi, B.A.
Clinical Psychology PhD Student
University of North Texas
Aubrey, Texas
.jpg "Linda M. Thompson, M.A. photo")
Linda M. Thompson, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Shannon A. Smith, B.S.
Graduate Student
University of North Texas
Aubrey, Texas
Shannon Doyle, B.S.
Research Assistant
University of North Texas
Little Elm, Texas
Heidemarie Blumenthal, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Although common, adolescent alcohol use is associated with a host of negative outcomes (CDC, 2022). Adolescents may feel a desire to drink for several reasons including low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, trauma, and childhood abuse (DeWit et al., 2000). Teenage alcohol misuse has been associated with a number of parenting factors including allowance of adolescents to drink alcohol, parents worries about their teen’s alcohol use, and parental use of alcohol (Koning, et al., 2013; Yap, 2017). Indeed, adolescents are less likely to engage in alcohol use when they are monitored by their parents, have strict rules about alcohol use, and have a positive relationship with their parents (Abar et al., 2014; Yap, 2017). Adolescents who have parents that are warm and supportive are less likely to use alcohol than individuals with neglectful or authoritarian parents (Borca et al., 2017; Calafat et al., 2014). To date, most studies have examined parenting style and behaviors, and none have assessed whether adolescents’ satisfaction with the way they are parented is related to their desire to drink alcohol.
Adolescents who reported prior alcohol consumption (N = 116; Mage = 15.44; 45.7% girls) were recruited from the community. Desire to drink upon arrival at the laboratory appointment was assessed using the Desire for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ; Love et al., 1998) total score, as well as the coping-related and strong urges subscales specifically. Satisfaction with parenting was indexed via the Youth Happiness with Parent Scale (YHPS; Leah et al., 2001). Two groups were conceptualized; the first included adolescents who were very happy with their parenting ( > 80% satisfaction rating), and the second included those with lower self-reported happiness with parenting (< 80% satisfaction rating). In the current sample, 11.2% fo adolescents reported never using alcohol, 12.1% reportedly tried but quit using, 37.9% of individuals reported using alcohol several times a year, 19.8% several times a month, 15.5% reported use on weekends only, and 3.5% reportedly use alcohol several days a week. It was hypothesized that the former group would report a lower desire to drink than the latter.
A one-way ANOVA indicated significant group differences in adolescents’ overall desire to drink alcohol (F (1,113) = 4.47, p = .037, η2 = .038). Moreover, adolescents who reported being very happy with their parenting (N = 26, m = 68.36%) were less likely to report a strong desire to drink alcohol (F (1,113) = 5.05, p = .027, η2 = .042) than peers who were reportedly moderately happy to happy with the way they were parented (N = 89, m = 50.35). Interestingly, adolescents’ desire to drink in order to cope was not significantly related to their happiness with parenting. Findings suggest that adolescents who are very happy with the way they are parented (m = 20.48) report lower desire to drink than their peers (m = 14.00). Future studies should explore the possible benefits of adolescents’ satisfaction with parenting on their mental health and if that could be related to drinking motives. Targeting an adolescent’s satisfaction with their parent and working with parents and adolescents to make sure parenting style is a good match may be an effective intervention.
