Romantic involvement and alcohol use in middle and late adolescence

Abstract

This study examined the associations between various dimensions of romantic involvement and alcohol use in middle and late adolescence. Based on Brown's model (1999, The development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 291–329), significant associations were expected to be found in middle adolescence only, and these associations were expected to be stronger among girls than among boys. Participants (N = 294; 61% girls) filled out questionnaires at age 16 and again at age 20. At age 16, the results showed that adolescents who were involved in romantic relationships reported higher levels of alcohol use than those who were not. Moreover, the greater the number of romantic partners that the adolescents had and the greater the extent to which their romantic partners were older than they were, the higher their level of alcohol use would be. These effects did not vary according to participants' gender. Finally, none of these effects were found at age 20.