PARENTING STYLE, GENDER, BEER DRINKING AND DRINKING PROBLEMS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract

Background and Purpose . Many college students and young adults in various parts of the world have difficulty with drinking too much alcohol and are at-risk for alcohol use disorders. A permissive parenting style and beer drinking are risk factors for alcohol abuse among late adolescents and young adults. Methods. This study examined the indirect relations between permissive parenting (measured with the Parental Authority Questionnaire, PAQ) and Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT, 2 nd edition) scores via beer drinking frequency (measured with the Student Alcohol Questionnaire, SAQ) among a sample of college students (ages 18 to 23) in the North-east region of the United States. In addition, the indirect relation between gender and AUDIT scores via beer drinking frequency were also examined through Structural Equation Modeling. Results. As predicted, students of permissive parents drank more beer and this was associated with more alcohol related problems. Likewise, young women drank significantly less beer than young men and this was associated with fewer alcohol dependence symptoms and healthier drinking habits. Conclusion . This study builds upon a number of studies that have found that beer drinking is potentially more problematic than wine drinking (and to some extent, liquor drinking) among young adults. Findings suggest that reducing beer drinking frequency, especially among boys, may be an intermediate target for future parenting intervention studies that aim to prevent alcohol use disorders.Â