FAMILY, EDUCATIONAL AND PEER INFLUENCES ON THE ALCOHOL-USE OF FEMALE AND MALE-ADOLESCENTS

Objective: This research provides estimates of how strongly family bon ds, family drug use, age, educational commitment and peer drug use are associated with the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption among adolescents, and compares females and males. Method: Using questionna ire data from a random sample of 27,000 adolescents, structural equati on modeling is used to evaluate the strength of several risk factors. Results: The influence of family bonds is moderately strong but operat es primarily through peers; adolescents with higher family bonds are l ess likely to have close friends who are involved with drugs. Family b onds have a relatively strong, positive association with educational c ommitment, and adolescents with a higher educational commitment tend t o drink less frequently; and when they drink, they tend to consume sma ller amounts. Living in a family where other family members have a pro blem with alcohol or other drugs increases the chance that an adolesce nt has friends who drink or use other drugs. Conclusions: Family bondi ng has small but significant direct effects and moderate indirect effe cts on both the frequency and amount of alcohol use. Family and peer i nfluences are similar for both females and males. Living in a family w here other family members have a drug problem increases the chance tha t an adolescent has friends who use drugs. Family bonding appears to b e an important social control mechanism that may decrease the risk of alcohol abuse among adolescents.