Lo Y, Chen WT, Wang IA, Liu CY, Chen WJ, Chen CY. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019; 204: 107482.
Affiliation
Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Neuropsychiatric Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan; School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: chuanychen@ym.edu.tw.
BACKGROUND: The present study aims to investigate the connection linking late childhood's family- and school- social capitals with subsequent alcohol drinking and problems.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the Alcohol-Related Experiences among Children survey in Taiwan. A total of 928 6th graders (age 11-12) were recruited from 17 elementary schools in an urban region in 2006 (response rate = 61.0%wt); follow-ups were conducted at 8th grade (n = 783, follow-up rate = 82.6%wt) and young adulthood (age 18-19; n = 645, follow-up rate = 68.0%wt). Information concerning family social capital, alcohol drinking, and teacher-student relationship was collected by self-administered questionnaires; school social capitals were assessed via questionnaires and official statistics. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate relationship estimates.
RESULTS: At 8th grade, nearly one in ten reported having drunk alcohol on four or more occasions (i.e., occasional drinking) in the past year; and 14% reported past-month binge drinking in young adulthood. Effects of family social capital differed by developmental stage; parental involvement appeared prominent in reducing occasional drinking only in adolescence (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 0.54). School social capital (e.g., teacher-student ratio) was salient in shaping alcohol involvement in adolescence (occasional drinking: aOR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.63-0.98) and young adulthood (binge drinking: aOR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.67-0.86).
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings warrant future research on social capitals at family- and school- levels in late childhood, and inform preventive strategies targeting alcohol drinking and problems in young people.