Similarity of university students' and their parents' attitudes toward alcohol

Abstract

It is proposed that older adolescents become more sensitive to parental norms about alcohol use. Seventy-two father-mother-daughter triads and 30 father-mother-son triads rated structural attitude statements about alcohol and drinking. Factor analyses yielded six dimensions of attitudes toward alcohol. Sons and parents had similar attitudes overall, with perceptions differing more on the sociability factor. There were a larger number of differences in the attitudes of parents and their daughters, especially concerning women drinking, moderate uses of alcohol and social status benefits from drinking. Daughters' attitudes were more likely to be different from both parents' attitudes than were sons' attitudes. The attitudes of daughters toward alcohol were discussed with reference to changes in women's roles and differences in their education and lifestyle.