Faculty Sponsor: Valerie Nazzaro
Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Abstract: A correlation has been established by multiple previous research studies between parental relationships and binge drinking behavior in United States adults. Lower levels of support and closeness with parental figures correlate positively with likelihood of alcohol use disorders in both adults and adolescents (Gorka 2014, Surkan 2012). Parental support and drinking behavior have been shown to be associated in a variety of research studies, many focusing on adolescent subjects (Caldwell 2004, Wills & Cleary 1996, Clark, Thatcher, & Maisto 2004). While an abundance of data is available regarding the relationship between parental closeness and support and binge drinking, research studies thus far have not investigated a possible relationship between communication frequency with parents and excessive drinking behavior. This analysis examines adults in the United States to see if different levels of closeness with and communication with mother and father figures correlates with probability of binge drinking behavior. In this study, adults communicating with their father figures a few times a year were more likely to engage in binge drinking than those communicating more frequently. While no significant association was found between parental closeness and binge drinking, after conducting a multiple regression an interesting trend revealed that maternal relationships may be more influential than paternal ones in predicting binge drinking behavior. The discussion will explore the implications of these results and the future research that could be conducted.
M.Rowe qac 201 final poster