Do Adolescent Perceptions of Parents’ Alcohol Consumption Undermine or Enhance What Parents Say About Alcohol? The Interaction Between Verbal and Nonverbal Messages

Utilizing a focus theory of normative conduct and primary socialization theory, this study hypothesized that parents’ references to the negative consequences of alcohol use, to their own past use, to conditional permissive messages about use, and to drinking responsibly (all from the adolescents’ pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communication research 2017-04, Vol.44 (3), p.319-347
Main Authors: Kam, Jennifer A., Basinger, Erin D., Abendschein, Bryan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Alcohol Education
Alcohol use
Children
Drinking
High School Students
Messages
Moderators
Norms
Parents
Teenagers
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Summary:Utilizing a focus theory of normative conduct and primary socialization theory, this study hypothesized that parents’ references to the negative consequences of alcohol use, to their own past use, to conditional permissive messages about use, and to drinking responsibly (all from the adolescents’ perspectives) are indirectly related to adolescents’ intention to drink alcohol through their pro-alcohol norms. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that parents’ alcohol consumption, as perceived by the adolescents, would moderate these indirect associations. Using cross-sectional survey data from 259 high school students, parents’ references to the negative consequences of alcohol use were related to weaker pro-alcohol norms, and in turn, weaker alcohol-use intention. By contrast, parents’ conditional permissive messages and references to drinking responsibly were related to stronger pro-alcohol norms, and in turn, stronger alcohol-use intention. Adolescents’ perceptions of their mother’s and father’s alcohol consumption were significant moderators of what they said to their children about alcohol.
ISSN:0093-6502
1552-3810
DOI:10.1177/0093650214565922