A Longitudinal Analysis of Internalization of Parental Alcohol-Use Norms and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Abstract

A model was tested in which predictions were advanced about children's internalization of their parents' alcohol-use norms and their own subsequent alcohol-use behavior. The sample included 132 families with a child who was 10-12 years old at the Time 1 assessment. Data were obtained in 3 waves at 1-year intervals. Parents' alcohol-use norms were assessed at Time 1, children's alcohol-use norms at Time 2, and children's drinking behavior at Time 3. The link between parents' alcohol-use norms and children's drinking behavior was mediated through the children's own norms. Father-child relationship processes moderated the links between fathers' and children's norms and between children's norms and subsequent alcohol use. The findings highlight a need for further research on internalization processes using samples large enough to detect moderational effects.