Alcohol-specific parenting within a cluster-randomized effectiveness trial of a Swedish primary prevention program

• Published in: Health education (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) Vol. 111; no. 2; pp. 92 - 102
• Main Authors: Strandberg, Anna K, Bodin, Maria C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.01.2011; Emerald
• Subjects: Adolescents; Alcohol Abuse; Alcohol Education; Alcohol use; Attitudes; Behavior; Behavior Change; Case Studies; Child Rearing; Control Groups; Counties; Drinking; Experimental Groups; Family Environment; Foreign Countries; Grade 7; Intervention; Methodology; Parent Attitudes; Parent Education; Parent Participation; Parenting; Parenting Styles; Parents; Parents & parenting; Prevention; Prevention programs; Preventive programmes; Program Effectiveness; Questionnaires; Researchers; Schools; Sweden; Validity; Young people; Sweden; Youth; Sweden; Alcoholic drinks; Adolescents; Parents
• ISSN: 0965-4283; 1758-714X
• DOI: 10.1108/09654281111108526

Purpose - Within the framework of an ongoing cluster-randomized effectiveness trial of a parental prevention program, the aim of the present study is to investigate attitudes towards under-age drinking and use of program components, i.e. alcohol-specific parenting behaviors, in parents who did and did not take part in the programme.Design methodology approach - Non-parametric tests were used to analyze cross-sectional data from 1,239 14-year-olds and their parents, collected at a 12-month follow-up.Findings - Strict attitudes and alcohol-specific rule-setting were more frequently reported among parents in the experimental group than among parents in the control group (89.2 v. 81.7 percent, p < 0.001, respectively 92.8 v. 88.5 percent, p < 0.01). Parental reports were supported by that significantly fewer youths in the experimental group reported being served alcohol at home (36.6 v. 44.7 percent, p < 0.01).Research limitations implications - Most of the measures were not included at the baseline measurement. However, the validity of the results is increased by the finding that parent and youth reports converge.Originality value - The results substantiate a previous study finding on maintained attitudinal restrictivity and extend one's knowledge on parents' use of programme components (e.g. having and communicating alcohol-specific rules). The present study tentatively suggests that two brief presentations to parents might result in changes in alcohol-specific parenting.