A latent growth curve analysis of alcohol-use specific parenting and adolescent alcohol use

This study investigates how changes in alcohol use-specific parenting were associated with adolescent drinking trajectories. Three waves of data from a longitudinal study investigating adolescent substance use were used. The community sample (N= 378) was aged 10-13 at the first wave of assessment. Our findings show that over time, parents are less likely to discipline their adolescents' drinking, more likely to grant their adolescent permission to drink, and less likely to communicate the consequences of alcohol use. Moreover, these changes are associated with escalation in adolescent alcohol use. Parental efficacy at preventing alcohol use declined, but did not relate to changes in adolescent drinking.