Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Mar;28(1):53-61.
doi: 10.1037/a0032731. Epub 2013 Aug 5.

Differential trajectories of alcohol-related behaviors across the first year of college by parenting profiles

Caitlin C Abar  1 , Robert J Turrisi  2 , Kimberly A Mallett  2
Affiliations

Differential trajectories of alcohol-related behaviors across the first year of college by parenting profiles

Caitlin C Abar et al. Psychol Addict Behav. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which profiles of perceived parenting are associated with trajectories of alcohol-related behaviors across the first year of college. Participants were surveyed five times from the summer before college to the fall of the second year. A total 285 college students were enrolled from the incoming classes of consecutive cohorts of students at a large, public university in the Northeastern United States. At baseline, participants provided information on their parents' alcohol-related behaviors (e.g., parental modeling of use; perceived approval of underage use) and parenting characteristics (e.g., parental monitoring; parent-child relationship quality). Students also reported on their personal alcohol-related behaviors at each time point. Latent profile analysis was used to identify four subgroups based on the set of parenting characteristics: High Quality (14%) - highest parent-teen relationship quality; High Monitoring (31%) - highest parental monitoring and knowledge; Low Involvement (30%) - poor relationship quality, little monitoring and communication; and Pro-Alcohol (21%) - highest parental modeling and approval. Students were then assigned to profiles, and their alcohol-related behaviors were examined longitudinally using latent growth curve modeling. In general, students in the Pro-Alcohol profile displayed the highest baseline levels of typical weekend drinking, heavy episodic drinking, and peak blood alcohol content, in addition to showing steeper increases in typical weekend drinking across the first year of college. Results support the notion that parental behaviors remain relevant across the first year of college. Differential alcohol-related behaviors across parenting profiles highlight the potential for tailored college intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Alcohol Use Behaviors over Time by Parenting Profile
Raw profiles means, using available data, plotted across times 1 – 5.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abar CC. Examining the relationship between parenting types and patterns of student alcohol-related behavior during the transition to college. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 2012;26:2–29. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abar C, Abar B, Turrisi R. The impact of parental modeling and permissibility on alcohol use and experienced negative drinking consequences in college. Addictive Behaviors. 2009;34:542–547. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abar CC, Maggs JL. Social influence and selection processes as predictors of normative perceptions and alcohol use across the transition to college. Journal of College Student Development. 2010;51:496–508. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abar C, Turrisi R. How important are parents during the college years? A longitudinal perspective of indirect influences parents yield on their college teens’ alcohol use. Addictive Behaviors. 2008;33:1360–1368. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American College Health Association. National Survey of College Students. ACHA; 2003.

Publication types