Using panel data to examine sex differences in causal relationships among adolescent alcohol use, norms, and peer alcohol use

Abstract

This paper uses longitudinal data and multiple regression of follow-up data on baseline data to identify direction of causality among adolescent alcohol use, normative structure toward alcohol, and peer alcohol use. Baseline and follow-up data were collected on a random sample of 100 adolescents (54 males). Separate regressions were performed on male and female respondents. Among males, self-drinking and normative structure toward alcohol were found to have a reciprocal relationship over time. No significant relationship was found between self and peer alcohol use over time among males. Among females, close-friend alcohol use was found to be causally prior to self drinking and other-friend drinking level. Normative structure toward alcohol was found unrelated to other variables over time among females.