Adolescent drinking-a touch of social class?

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Public Health
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Parental socio-economic status (SES) is a known determinant of various health outcomes in adolescents.
• Understanding the specific pathways through which SES influences adolescent behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parental socio-economic status (SES) and adolescent drinking behaviors.
• To determine the extent to which parental factors mediate the relationship between SES and adolescent alcohol use.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional Norwegian school survey data from 2006.
• Included adolescents aged 13-18 years (N=17,761).
• Utilized Poisson regression to analyze the association between parental education (low vs. middle/high SES) and adolescent drinking/intoxication, controlling for parenting practices and parental alcohol consumption.

Main Results:

• Adolescents with low parental SES showed an elevated risk of drinking and intoxication (ages 13-16).
• These elevated risks became statistically insignificant after accounting for general parenting, parental permissiveness towards alcohol, and parental intoxication.
• Low parental SES was also associated with more frequent drinking and intoxication episodes among adolescents who consumed alcohol, but this also became insignificant when parental factors were included.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent drinking in Norway is inversely related to parental socio-economic status.
• The apparent link between low SES and adolescent drinking is explained by parental factors, including general parenting, permissiveness, and parental drinking habits.