Influence of parenting on harmful use of alcohol in Mexican high school students

Abstract

This correlational-predictive study estimated the influence of the dimensions of parenting on harmful use of alcohol in Mexican high school students. A sociodemographic form, the AUDIT (to measure involvement with alcohol) and EMBU-I (for parenting) questionnaires were administered to a sample of 680 adolescents. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used. The final model (χ2 = 16,812, p < .001, Nagelkerke's R2 = 0.074) determined that higher emotional warmth scores decreased the risk of harmful use of alcohol (OR = 0.980, p < .05). By sex the results were confirmed in males. Our findings coincide with the literature that suggests that emotional warmth may have a protective role against harmful use of alcohol among Mexican adolescents. However, it emphasizes the importance of providing affection and attention towards boys.