Parental Misperceptions of Incoming Student Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUPCollege student drinking has long been a concern of college administrators, faculty, staff, and parents of students. National binge drinking rates among college students are over 40% (Wechsler et al., 2002). Annually, problems associated with this high-risk use of alcohol include 500,000 unintentional injuries, 70,000 sexual assaults, and 600,000 assaults among students between the ages of 18 and 24 years (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], 2002a). In addition, the NIAAA reports that alcohol is a contributing factor for the almost one third drop-out rate of first-year students. Although most campuses have established education and intervention programs to address these issues, drinking continues to be a concern especially among first-year students.
Some research indicates that student drinking increases after arriving on campus (Baer, Kivlahan, & Marlatt, 1995; Harford & Muthén, 2001; Leeman & Wapner, 2001; Leibsohn, 1994; Lo & Globetti, 1995), whereas Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Moeykens, and Castillo (1994) note that there is a continuity of drinking behaviors between high school and college. Leibsohn notes the frequency of use increases but not the number of times students report getting drunk. Others have found that this reported increase in drinking during the first year decreases over subsequent years (Turrisi, Padilla, & Wierma, 2000; Wechsler, Dowdall, Maenner, Gledhill-Hoyt, & Lee, 1998). Regardless of the timing of the increased rates of use, first-year students are particularly at risk as they make the transition from high school to college. Schulenberg et al. (2001) note student drinking rates during the first few years of college surpass those of their peers not in college. In addition, this rate of alcohol use can negatively contribute to the transition to college.
These trends in college student drinking do not appear to be changing (Wechsler et al., 2002). However, parental involvement is changing on many campuses and could assist with this unyielding problem. Hover (2004) notes that over the last 20 years colleges and universities have established more ways to connect with parents and keep them involved. This has been done through the creation of parent relations offices, parent committees, parent associations, and parent orientations. This increase in parental involvement could be an important component in alcohol and other drug prevention and education.
The theory of individuation-connectedness addresses changes in the adolescent–parent relationship as young adults establish their own identities. As the relationship transforms from one of unilateral authority to one of interdependence, the young adults will develop as [End Page 577] distinct beings but at the same time continue to seek guidance and approval from their parents (Youniss & Smollar, 1985). This approach to parental involvement provides a context for examining how parents can and do influence alcohol decisions of college students. The literature supports the idea that parental relations impact college students' alcohol use whether it is the parents' own drinking patterns (Ingle & Furnham, 1996; Yu, 2003), the type of student-parent relationship (Hemmerlie, Steen, & Benedicto, 1994), or the positive communications by parents about alcohol messages in the media (Austin & Chen, 2003). In addition, a study of 16- to 20-year-olds by Foley, Altman, Durant, and Wolfson (2004) demonstrates that parental expectations and perceived consequences for getting caught drinking is associated with less underage drinking.
However, in order for parents to have a more direct impact on and involvement in their students' alcohol decision, a critical element for parents is that they have an accurate perception of the alcohol use of their student. Many are not aware of their student's use of alcohol, and this can create a problem. Evidence shows that the younger a student drinks without parental knowledge, the more likely the student is to drink during the first year of college (McCluskey-Fawcett, Berkley-Patton, Towns, & Prosser, 2001). In addition, it is difficult to engage parents in alcohol and other...
