Parents's plans to supply their adolescents with alcohol

Abstract

The aim was to determine the extent to which parent and adolescent characteristics and patterns of alcohol use influence parents’ plans to supply their adolescent aged 14–16 years with full serves of alcohol (i.e. not necessarily initiation) in the next 6 months. A cross-sectional sample of parents from Victoria, Australia, completed an online survey. Parents’ plans to supply alcohol in the next 6 months was significantly associated with their reports of supplying alcohol in the previous 3 months (β = 0.51, P < 0.01), perceptions that their adolescent drinks (β = 0.34, P < 0.01), reports of not practising religion (β = 0.13, P < 0.01), and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores (β = 0.09, P = 0.04). The total variance explained by the model was 57.4% F (9, 242) = 36.2, P < 0.01. Parents’ plans to supply their adolescent with alcohol might be a reflection of the normalisation of alcohol use in Australia. There is a need to support Australian parents to review their own alcohol use, clarify their views on alcohol use by their adolescent and confidently restrict their child’s access to alcohol, irrespective of their own drinking patterns.