Parents can help prevent problem drinking
College students are less likely to have drinking problems or engage in risky behaviour if their parents monitor their social lives.
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College students are less likely to have drinking problems or engage inrisky behaviour if their parents monitor their social lives.
While there's a plethora of research showing that lowparental monitoring contributes to risky behaviour, very fewresearchers have examined the effects of parental monitoring separatedout by mothers and fathers. It's normally measured just with the wordparent.
Researchers asked 581 students at the Missouri University ofScience and Technology and San Diego State University about theparenting styles of both their mothers and fathers, and their parents'knowledge of their friends and social plans. The students were alsoasked about their alcohol-related problems and impulsive behaviour. Theparents were classified as authoritarian (emphasis on rules andobedience, and lack of discussion), authoritative (clear rules andinstructions, but with an atmosphere of open discussion), or permissive(behaving more like a friend than a parent).
Thestudy found that authoritative parents were most likely to effectivelymonitor their children (knowing about their social life and plans)whereas permissive parents were least likely to do so. The researcherswere surprised to find that authoritarian parents didn't have anadvantage or disadvantage in terms of monitoring.
The researchers expected an atmosphere of rules to play animportant part in monitoring but the study showed that having stricthouse rules does not mean that emerging adults feel that parents reallyknow about their social life or plans. The study also found that ahigher degree of parental monitoring by the opposite-gender parent -that is, father and daughter, or mother and son - can indirectly reducedrinking problems among students by putting the brakes on impulsivebehaviour.
It is well known that people who are more impulsive are morelikely to struggle with control over their drinking and are more likelyto experience alcohol-related problems than their less impulsivecounterparts. The reasons for stronger association with theopposite-gender parent are not clearly understood as people seem tothink that women or girls will be ok if just their mothers are involvedin their lives while the study shows that fathers have an impact. Thesame is true for mothers having an influence over their sons. Theresearchers believed it has something to do with the socialisationprocess from one generation to the next. Perhaps it has something to dowith learning how members of the opposite gender view and value certainbehaviours.
The findings suggest that young adults need a certain leveland style of parental monitoring, and this link is stronger with theparent of the opposite gender.
While there's a plethora of research showing that lowparental monitoring contributes to risky behaviour, very fewresearchers have examined the effects of parental monitoring separatedout by mothers and fathers. It's normally measured just with the wordparent.
Researchers asked 581 students at the Missouri University ofScience and Technology and San Diego State University about theparenting styles of both their mothers and fathers, and their parents'knowledge of their friends and social plans. The students were alsoasked about their alcohol-related problems and impulsive behaviour. Theparents were classified as authoritarian (emphasis on rules andobedience, and lack of discussion), authoritative (clear rules andinstructions, but with an atmosphere of open discussion), or permissive(behaving more like a friend than a parent).
Thestudy found that authoritative parents were most likely to effectivelymonitor their children (knowing about their social life and plans)whereas permissive parents were least likely to do so. The researcherswere surprised to find that authoritarian parents didn't have anadvantage or disadvantage in terms of monitoring.
The researchers expected an atmosphere of rules to play animportant part in monitoring but the study showed that having stricthouse rules does not mean that emerging adults feel that parents reallyknow about their social life or plans. The study also found that ahigher degree of parental monitoring by the opposite-gender parent -that is, father and daughter, or mother and son - can indirectly reducedrinking problems among students by putting the brakes on impulsivebehaviour.
It is well known that people who are more impulsive are morelikely to struggle with control over their drinking and are more likelyto experience alcohol-related problems than their less impulsivecounterparts. The reasons for stronger association with theopposite-gender parent are not clearly understood as people seem tothink that women or girls will be ok if just their mothers are involvedin their lives while the study shows that fathers have an impact. Thesame is true for mothers having an influence over their sons. Theresearchers believed it has something to do with the socialisationprocess from one generation to the next. Perhaps it has something to dowith learning how members of the opposite gender view and value certainbehaviours.
The findings suggest that young adults need a certain leveland style of parental monitoring, and this link is stronger with theparent of the opposite gender.
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