How Parents Communicate with Adolescents About Alcohol Use: Implications for College Use and Alcohol-Related Consequences

Parental communication about alcohol use plays a critical role in shaping college drinking behaviors, yet the specific effects of different message types remain underexplored. Given the heightened risk of heavy drinking during the first semester of college, this study aimed to validate a measure of alcohol-specific communication (ASC), confirm its factor structure, and examine how distinct ASC strategies predict drinking initiation, frequency, problematic alcohol use, and alcohol-related consequences in the first semester. Additionally, the moderating roles of prior drinking experience and peer injunctive norms were assessed. Study 1 piloted the ASC measure to establish validity. Study 2 employed a longitudinal design, recruiting students before college entry and following them for 15–22 weeks. Participants reported on their high school ASC experiences, as well as high school and college drinking initiation status, weekly alcohol use, problematic drinking (AUDIT; α = .89), alcohol-related consequences (BYAACQ; α = .94), and peer norms (INRF; α = .89). Additional measures included parental warmth (PBI; α = .89), parental monitoring, and parental alcohol use. Factor analyses supported the ASC measure’s structure, and results revealed distinct effects on alcohol use. Parental stories/disclosures in high school predicted greater college drinking consequences among those who had already initiated alcohol use or had alcohol-approving peers. Peer-oriented messages in high school were associated with fewer college alcohol-related consequences, whereas risk-oriented messages were linked to increased problematic drinking among students with alcohol permissive college peers. Findings highlight the critical role of parental messaging in mitigating risk during the transition to college. Implications for prevention and future research are discussed.Keywords: parent communication, alcohol-specific communication, college drinking, alcohol use, peer norms, alcohol use consequences, problematic drinking