Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Byron Zamboanga

Committee Member

Jeremy Beaulieu

Second Committee Member

Ellen Leen-Feldner

Third Committee Member

Adam Pope

Abstract

Adolescence (i.e., ages 12 to 18) is a developmental period marked by exploration and risk-taking behavior, which is often associated with increased risk for alcohol use. Adolescents’ perceptions of what is typical or approved behavior within their social environments (e.g., peers, parents) may be associated with their drinking behaviors. Parental monitoring is related to reduced substance use risk, though peer and parental influences can interact. For example, adolescents who perceive their parents do not approve of adolescent alcohol use may be less susceptible to alcohol-approving peers. Therefore, this study examined how adolescents’ perceptions of peer approval, parental approval, and parental monitoring are associated with drinker status (i.e., drinker vs. non-drinker) and alcohol use. It also tested whether parental approval and monitoring moderate (a) the link between perceived peer approval and alcohol use, and (b) the association between perceived parental approval and alcohol use. Adolescents (N=595) from a public high school in the Northeastern United States completed self-report measures of alcohol use, perceived peer and parental approval, and perceived parental monitoring in the fall of 2008. Results indicated that perceived peer approval was most consistently associated with adolescent drinking outcomes, as it was associated with lower likelihood of abstaining from alcohol use and greater severity of alcohol use among those who drink. Parental monitoring was not consistently related to drinker status or severity of alcohol use. Parental approval and monitoring also did not moderate the associations between peer approval and adolescent alcohol use or parental approval and adolescent alcohol use. Overall, the present findings suggest that perceived peer approval can play an important role in adolescent alcohol use, whereas parental influences may demonstrate more limited and conditional effects. The current study’s results highlight the importance of targeting peer norms in prevention and intervention efforts aimed at reducing adolescent alcohol use.

Keywords

Adolescents; alcohol use, parental approval; parental monitoring; peer approval; moderation

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