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Abstract
To prevent harmful drinking, it is essential to understand factors that promote alcohol use at an early age. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of parental alcohol use in children’s selection of alcoholic beverages in a virtual reality (VR) environment and their intentions to drink in the future. Participants were 7–13-year-old children (N = 127) who filled out questionnaires and participated in a VR computer game paradigm in which they were asked to select food and beverages for their parents and themselves. Children’s selection of alcoholic beverages and their intentions to drink alcohol in the future were measured. Children who reported heavier parental drinking selected more alcoholic beverages for their parents and displayed greater intentions to drink alcohol. Children’s responses in virtual reality explained incremental variance in children’s intentions to drink. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Jeroen Derks for the development of the VR-game and Josine Verhoeven for helping with the collection of the data. Furthermore, the authors would like to thank the employees and students of B.S. De Zjwiek, Roggel, the Netherlands for their participation in the study.