Antecedents of rural adolescent alcohol use: a risk factor approach

The present study examines the association between risk factors and alcohol use for a sample of young adolescents in a rural eastern community. Family relations, family structure, marks in school, participation in academic activities, frequency of church attendance, and deviant behavior were found to be significantly associated with alcohol use two years later. No gender or age differences were found in these predictors of alcohol use. These six risk variables were combined to form a risk index. A 3 x 2 x 2 (User group by Gender by Grade) ANOVA was used to examine the association between the risk index score at Year 1 and level of alcohol use at Year 3. Only the main effect for User group was significant. Thus, the number of risk factors at Year 1 was predictive of alcohol use at Year 3. The risk index also predicted frequency of alcohol use in a replication sample. Implications for the risk factor approach, prevention, and intervention are discussed.