The Role of Socio-Demographics, Family, and Peer Factors in Adolescent Alcohol Behaviors

Abstract

Alcohol consumption can be a volatile pastime amongst people, especially among adolescents. The behavior is debilitating and affects the overall well-being of students across varying instances of their daily lives, including their academics and interpersonal relationships. Adolescent alcohol consumption is influenced by internal and external factors, of which the current study focuses on socio-demographic, family, and peer factors. The sample consists of 751 high school students from Istanbul, Turkey. The data on their drinking behaviors were collected by implementing a survey questionnaire. A chi-square test of independence and Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted.The results revealed that variables like household income, parental marital status, mother's level of education and work status, family's alcohol use (mother, father, siblings), and peer alcohol usewere significantly associated with adolescent alcohol consumption. Furthermore, it was revealed that in the current sample being male, 18 years of age, and having educated mothers, mothers working as laborers, working or retired fathers, and alcohol using family members (father and siblings) predicted alcohol use. These findings indicate the importance of external and environmental factors in influencing adolescent consumption of alcohol.