Age, home and school involvements, and home–school communication in alcohol use among secondary school students

ABSTRACT

Abuse of alcohol is one of the risk-taking behaviours that is prominent among adolescents in secondary schools despite global awareness on misuse and adverse effects of psychoactive substances in human body. The study investigates age, home-based involvement, school-based involvement and home–school communication as predictors of alcohol use among secondary school students. In a school-based cross-sectional approach, a convenience sample of 323 (50.8% males & 49.2% females) secondary school students currently taking alcohol aged 10 to 22 years (M = 14.19, SD = 2.29) completed self-report questionnaires. Bivariate correlations analysis was done as a preliminary statistics, while multiple regression was computed to analyse the data and provides answers to the research question. Results of four-model hierarchical multiple regression showed that all predictor variables jointly contributed to alcohol use with home–school communication recording highest score. Independently, age, home-based involvement, school-based involvement and home–school communication predicted alcohol use. It is concluded that intervention through either home-based involvement or school-based involvement alone may not have much impact in reducing levels of alcohol use in secondary school student population. Combined efforts of both parents/guardians and school teachers are passionately recommended for effective alcohol-use/risk reduction intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol use
• age
• home–school communication
• home-based involvement
• school-based involvement

Acknowledgments

The author thanked principals and governing members of the secondary schools used as settings for the study. He also thanked all the students who voluntarily participated in the study. In addition, parents who gave consent to participation of their wards in the exercise were appreciated.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.