Influence of family disharmony and parental alcohol use on adolescent social skills, self-efficacy, and alcohol use

Abstract

Deficits in social skills have been found to be related to adolescent substance use. Little effort has been devoted to understanding how family factors influence the acquisition of these skills. This study examined the manner in which family disharmony and parental alcohol use affect adolescent alcohol use through their influence on the acquisition of social skills and self-efficacy regarding one's ability to utilize these skills. It was hypothesized that family disharmony and parental alcohol use directly influenced usage and affected usage indirectly through their influence on acquisition of social skills. Social skills were also hypothesized to affect usage directly and to affect usage indirectly by influencing beliefs regarding one's ability to implement these skills. Results indicated that family disharmony was directly related to adolescent alcohol use and social skills. Parental alcohol use was related only to adolescent usages, not to social skills. Social skills were related to self-efficacy, which was related to alcohol use but was not directly related to usage. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of family influences on adolescent alcohol use, the importance of including families in prevention efforts, and the importance of the acquisition of self-efficacy relative to social skills.