The relationship between parenting behaviors and alcohol consumption of Hispanic and African American males during adolescence and young adulthood
Abstract
To investigate the influence of parenting behaviors on the frequency and quantity of alcohol use among Hispanic and African American males during adolescence and young adulthood, 376 Colombian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and African American men were interviewed. Respondents were young adults ranging in age from 18–32 years. Parenting behaviors were divided into two categories: parental support and parental control. Parental support was defined as the parent's use of praise, encouragement, and physical affection. High levels of parental support were hypothesized to result in lower alcohol use rates. Low levels of parental support were hypothesized to result in higher alcohol use rates. Parental control was defined as the parent's use of strict rules, withdrawal of privilege, or physical punishments to maintain appropriate adolescent behavior. Low parental control was defined as the lack of consistent and enforceable rules and guidelines for age appropriate behavior. Both high and low levels of parental control were hypothesized to result in higher rates of alcohol use by Hispanic and African American adolescent and young adult males. As expected, parental behaviors had a significant influence on the frequency and quantity of alcohol use for Hispanic and African American men. Parental support was found to have a significant impact on how often Hispanic and African American adolescent males drank alcohol. The higher the level of parental support, the less often the adolescent drank alcohol. Parental control was found to have a significant impact on both the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed during adolescence. No significance was observed for the influence of parenting behaviors on drinking patterns during young adulthood. Variations in significance were observed when moderator effects of ethnicity were introduced into the analysis. Other factors such as parental drinking and parental attitudes toward adolescent alcohol use were examined for their influence on the alcohol use patterns of this population. Variations in the socialization practices and parenting behaviors across cultures are addressed in the literature review. Results are discussed with implications for the parent-adolescent relationship, alcohol use patterns of Hispanic and African American males, and the development of culturally-competent social work practice.
Subject Area
Social work|Social psychology|Individual & family studies|Ethnic studies|Black studies|Behavioral psychology|Public health|African American Studies|Sociology
Recommended Citation
Sealy, Yvette Michelle, "The relationship between parenting behaviors and alcohol consumption of Hispanic and African American males during adolescence and young adulthood" (1999). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9947099.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9947099
