Effects of exposure to mother's and father's alcohol use on young children's normative perceptions of alcohol

Abstract

Background While consumption of alcohol does not often begin until early adolescence, young children are highly capable of internalizing normative information through observational learning. We used a longitudinal multiple‐informant family study to examine the impact of exposure to mothers' and fathers' drinking on young children's normative perceptions of who drinks alcohol. Methods Three hundred twenty‐nine children (4 to 6 years old at baseline [Mage 4.78 (SD = 0.725)], 51% girls) completed the Dutch electronic appropriate beverage task [eABT] where they attributed alcoholic beverages to a variety of persons depicted in an illustrated scenario. Their parents completed an online survey that included information on alcohol use and exposure. Results Children more frequently exposed to their mothers' drinking provided females shown in the eABT illustrations with alcohol significantly more often than children less frequently exposed to mothers' drinking. There was no effect of mother's exposure on providing males in the eABT with alcoholic beverages. Similarly, children more frequently exposed to their fathers' drinking provided fathers with alcoholic beverages significantly more often than children less frequently exposed to their fathers' drinking. There was no effect of father's exposure on providing the females with alcoholic beverages, nor was there an effect of father's exposure on providing “other males” with alcohol. These patterns held after adjusting for age and sex. Conclusions This study demonstrates that there are gender‐specific effects of exposure to parents' (particularly mothers') drinking on young children's perceptions of person‐specific drinking norms. The findings provide unique evidence in a young population group of effects on an understudied dimension of alcohol‐related perceptions with implications for future drinking behavior.

The potential adverse effects of minors' exposure to alcohol‐related stimuli via licenced venues: A narrative review

“…Two studies found that children and adolescents who were more frequently exposed to parental consumption at family occasions (e.g., family barbeques) were more likely to endorse positive expectancies about alcohol such as ‘alcohol makes people more sociable’ [111, 112]. The third study found that children aged 4–6 years who were more frequently exposed to their parents' alcohol consumption were more likely than their peers to report the consumption of alcoholic beverages as being the norm for adults in social situations [113]. The fourth study demonstrated that adolescents' exposure to parental consumption increased their likelihood of later consuming alcohol themselves [114].…”

“…Four studies examining the effects of children's observations of their parents' alcohol consumption were conducted in the Netherlands [111][112][113][114]. They were longitudinal studies measuring how frequently minors were exposed to their parents' drinking behaviours to see if it predicted their future expectancies, normative beliefs around alcohol use, and alcohol consumption.…”

Associations between child maltreatment and hospital admissions for alcohol and other substance use‐related disorders up to 40 years of age: Results from the Childhood Adversity and Lifetime Morbidity study

“…This is markedly higher than the 97 (1.6%) individuals who were ever admitted to hospital for AUDs up to the age of 40. While the current study was concerned with inpatient admissions, which probably represent more severe cases of AUDs [34], the difference between self‐reported and administratively recorded admissions for AUDs is interesting and worthy of future investigation, particularly as perceptions of what constitutes ‘normal’ drinking behaviour may differ depending upon the circumstances in which someone grew up [35].…”

Prevalence of alcohol consumption among high school students: A cross‐sectional study

“…A study investigating the influence of exposure to parental drinking on children's perception of drinking shows that what children see in their parents can be transferred to them. There is evidence of intergenerational transmission of drinking behaviour at a very young age (Cook et al, 2022). Paternal alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of alcohol dependence and alcohol use disorders among offspring (Thor et al, 2022).…”