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Longitudinal Effects of Family Factors on Alcohol Use Among African American and White Non-Hispanic Males During Middle School

NCJ Number
224204
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: 2008 Pages: 57-73
Author(s)
E. Gail Horton; Andres Gil
Date Published
2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the longitudinal effects of 5 family factors (“familism,” parent derogation, parent-child communication, family alcohol problems, and family drug problems) on the intensity of alcohol use among a sample of 451 African-American and White non-Hispanic males from early to mid-adolescence (sixth through eighth grades).
Abstract
The findings show that all of the family variables except family drug problems were statistically significant predictors of the level of alcohol use in mid-adolescence. “Familism” (pride in and loyalty to the family, trust in family members, and optimism about the family’s future) had a moderate influence on the intensity of alcohol use at both data points. Weaker predictors of the intensity of adolescent alcohol use were parent derogation (being disliked by, put down by, or of little interest to one‘s parents); parent/child communication (sharing of private thoughts and feelings with parents); and family alcohol problems (problematic alcohol use). The intensity of alcohol use in the sixth grade had the most influence on later levels of use. Study data were obtained from a two-part longitudinal epidemiological cohort study. The first part, the South Florida Youth Development Project (SFYD), followed a cohort of adolescents as they progressed through middle school. The second part of the study, the Transition study, followed a random sample from the SFYD projects into young adulthood in 2001. The current study used only the responses from the SFYD project, since its focus is on alcohol use during adolescence. In the first (T1) and second (T2) waves of the collection, data were obtained from subjects during the fall semester of the sixth and seventh grades. This article describes the instruments used in assessing each of the family factors. 4 tables and 39 references