Parental goals for adolescent alcohol socialisation

Authors

• Jenni Helenius Tampereen yliopisto
• Jari Eskola

Abstract

Parental alcohol socialisation practices are subject to pressures exerted by culture, friends and family. This article examines how the parents of teenage children perceive the goals of alcohol socialisation practices. The parents were asked about their goals and the factors that helped them achieve these goals or complicated alcohol socialisation. The data consists of 53 written survey replies. According to the survey parents’ primary goals are to teach teenagers to consume alcohol only in moderation and to refrain from binge drinking. The parents perceive other people as eithers helpers or opponents depending whether they share the same principles as the parents. Most parents try to find a golden mean between strict rules and permissiveness. Most differences of opinion between parents concern the advantages and disadvantages of letting minors taste alcohol or offering it to them at home.