Family Life Satisfaction, Age, Length of Residency: Predicting Alcohol and Cigarette Use among Korean Adolescents in Australia

Abstract

A total of 203 Korean adolescent students, ages 14 to 18 years, participated in the present study designed to investigate the predictive value of adolescent scores on the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index relative to those of parents and siblings, their length of residency in Australia, and age on alcohol and cigarette use. For boys, age was the only significant predictor of both alcohol and cigarette use. However, for girls three variables were identified as significant predictors of alcohol use, Parent-related Life Satisfaction, age, and length of residency in Australia accounting for 26.11% of the total variance. Two variables, Parent-related Life Satisfaction and length of residency in Australia, were significant predictors of cigarette use for girls, explaining 21.96% of the total variance. Results were discussed in terms of the different relationships between scores on the Adolescent Family Life Satisfaction Index and alcohol and cigarette use for adolescent boys and girls.