Mediators and moderators of young adults' drinking

Direct effects of modeling and indirect effects of social perception processes have been implicated in the acquisition and maintenance of alcohol use. Parental and peer drinking behavior (assessed from self-reports), and student perceptions about parent and peer drinking (assessed from student estimates of their parents' and friends' alcohol use) were examined through surveys of college students, their parents, and a same-sex best friend. Results showed that students' perceptions about their parents' drinking and parents' self-reported quantity of alcohol consumed were significant correlates of students' own drinking. Perceptions about their friends' alcohol use were found to mediate the strong correlation between student and friend drinking. Perceived similarity to parents, but not perceived similarity to their friend, moderated the relation between students' alcohol use and their perceptions about the alcohol use of significant others. When parents were asked to estimate the alcohol use of their sons, daughters, and the average college student, they consistently estimated lower consumption for their offspring than for the average student.