A new study out of Brigham Young University finds that parenting style can influence the degree to which teenagers participate in binge drinking. Nearly 5,000 teenagers were asked about their relationships with their parents, and their drinking habits.

“The teens least prone to heavy drinking had parents who scored high on both accountability and warmth. So-called ‘indulgent’ parents, those low on accountability and high on warmth, nearly tripled the risk of their teen participating in heavy drinking. ‘Strict’ parents – high on accountability and low on warmth – more than doubled their teen’s risk of heavy drinking.” [Source: Red Orbit]

Parental accountability was defined as knowing where and how kids spent their time and who they spent it with. Previous studies had shown that parents have some influence over whether their teens try alcohol, but this study shows that they have an even strong influence over the degree to which their children drink.

Labels: parental_involvement, binge drinking

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse