| J. Kelly Coker
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
A context for use: Examining the environmental and social factors that impact adolescent problem drinking
FINAL REPORT:
Although adolescents continue to use and abuse alcohol at alarming rates, researchers only recently have begun to examine the contextual factors in an adolescent's environment that influence his or her drinking behavior. The objective of this study was to create and test a comprehensive and contextual model of adolescent problem drinking, and to examine it over time. Using the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) database, a sample of 17,424 students enrolled in school during both the base-year and first-year follow-up surveys were identified. Items from NELS:88 were used to create and test measurement models for all latent variables in the full, hypothesized structural model. Results indicated that high levels of parental support and a positive school climate in the eighth grade influence the formation of relationships with peers with positive values in the tenth grade which, in turn, guards against problem drinking behavior in the tenth grade. Implications for prevention programs are presented and discussed.
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