Examining the Changing Influence of Predictors on Adolescent Alcohol Misuse

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the influence of key characteristics on adolescent alcohol misuse ( i s . , matcrnal binge drinking, parenting, peers, school charactcristics, and the adolescent's own behavior) change over time and whether predictors of adolescent alcohol misuse vary by gender and racelethnicity. Using prospective, longitudinal data from a community sample, results revealed that mother's hinge drinking, peer drinking, and an early age of onset predicted higher levels of alcohol misuse when respondents were 14-16 years of age. Two years later, when adolescents were 1618 years of age, maternal binge drinking was no longer significant, however, maternal attachment, school attachment, peer drinking, and early age of onset Kimberly A. Tyler, PhD, is Associate Professor, Rosalie Torres Stone, PhD, is Assistant Professor, and Bianca Bersani, MA, is Graduate Research Assistant; all are afliliated with Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. Kimberly A. Tyler receivcd her PhD in 1999 in Sociology from Iowa State Univcrsity. Her major current research interests are homeless youth, mental health outcomes, and high risk behaviors. Rosalie Torres Stone received hcr PhD in 2000 in Sociology from The University of Connecticut. Her major research interests arc social inequality, racc and cthnicity, and substance use. Bianca Bersani receivcd an MA in 2004 in Sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her major research interest is adolescent deviant hehavior. Address correspondence to: Kimberly A. Tyler, PhD, Associate Professor, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Sociology, 717 Oldfather Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324 (E-mail: [email protected]). Joumal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, Vol. 16(2) 2006 Available online at http://jcasa.haworthpress.conl O 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. doi: 10.1300/J029v 161102-05