The relationship between parental socio-economic status and episodes of drunkenness among adolescents: findings from a cross-national survey
2006

Parental Socio-Economic Status and Adolescent Drinking

Sample size: 142868 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Matthias Richter, Anja Leppin, Saoirse Nic Gabhainn

Primary Institution: University of Bielefeld

Hypothesis

Does parental socio-economic status influence episodes of drunkenness among adolescents aged 11-15 in Europe and North America?

Conclusion

Parental socio-economic status has a limited impact on episodes of drunkenness in early adolescence, particularly for girls.

Supporting Evidence

  • Family affluence was only significantly related to drunkenness for boys in a few countries.
  • Parental occupation showed a more consistent relationship with drunkenness among boys than girls.
  • Overall, socio-economic status had a limited role in predicting adolescent drinking behavior.

Takeaway

This study found that how much money your parents make doesn't really affect how much you drink when you're a teenager.

Methodology

Data was collected from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study 2001/02, involving logistic regression analyses on responses from students in 28 countries.

Potential Biases

Potential underreporting of drunkenness due to social desirability bias.

Limitations

Self-reported data on parental occupation may lead to inaccuracies, and the study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.

Participant Demographics

Adolescents aged 11-15 from 28 countries in Europe and North America.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Confidence Interval

95% CI

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-6-289

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