Impact of Parental Monitoring in High School on College Drinking During Students' First Semester at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee
Publication Date
12-2024
Presentation Length
Poster/Gallery presentation
College
College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Department
Public Health, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
SPARK Category
Research
Faculty Advisor
christian.williams@belmont.edu and frecia.gonzalez@belmont.edu
SPARK Session
10:15-11:45 Public Health Scientific Inquiry - Beaman
Presentation Type
Poster
Summary
INTRODUCTION: Underage drinking has become normalized in the United States among college students. College drinking is defined as any alcohol consumed by an under aged individual for reasons other than religious practices who is attending a two- or four-year university (“Alcohol Behaviors and Academic Grades,” 2021). Independent of sex or religion, parental monitoring is associated with students drinking less alcohol in high school compared to students whose parents are not as involved (Arria et al., 2008). Research indicates parental monitoring in high school is an indirect protective factor on the same students who begin college.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study collected quantitative data from 37 first year students at Belmont University during the fall 2024 semester. First year seminar professors were sent a recruitment email with the survey link attached and asked to forward to their students. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test: Self-Report Version (AUDIT) and the Parental Monitoring Scale were used to assess drinking habits and how behaviors are impacted by parental involvement. Aggregate scores were compared using Pearson’s R statistical test. Chi-square test was performed on select questions to determine if there was a significant relationship between college student’s drinking habits and parental monitoring while in high school.
RESULTS: Parental knowledge of students being an hour or more past curfew and consuming more than 6 drinks in one sitting was found to be statistically significant at a 90% confidence interval with p = 0.065. There was a statistically significant relationship between the number of drinks a freshman student consumes per sitting and whether their parents were aware when they were an hour or more late for curfew in high school (p = 0.026). Pearson’s R correlation coefficient had a value of 0.1134, a “very weak positive” correlation between the variables with an insignificant p-value of 0.504.
DISCUSSION: Parental involvement in a child’s life is important, but specifically, could be a protective factor in relation to collegiate drinking. The only variable in this study that influenced alcohol consumption was whether parents knew if their child arrived home on time for curfew in high school. Further research is needed to explore how specific parental actions and presence affect college freshmen’s drinking behaviors. Additionally, family history may play a role in drinking habits, but it was not examined in this study.
REFERENCES
Arria, A. M., Kuhn, V., Caldeira, K. M., O'Grady, K. E., Vincent, K. B., & Wish, E. D. (2008). High school drinking mediates the relationship between parental monitoring and college drinking: A longitudinal analysis. Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 3, 1-11.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 26). Alcohol behaviors and academic grades. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/health_and_academics/alcohol_use.htm
Recommended Citation
Cunningham, Kylie S.; Williams, Christian; and Gonzalez, Frecia, "Impact of Parental Monitoring in High School on College Drinking During Students' First Semester at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee" (2024). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 547.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/547
