Parent-based interventions have been a predominant topic in alcohol use reduction. Consequently, Bo et al. (2018) argued that the implications of parents’ involvement in teaching responsible drinking are unclear. On the other hand, Napper et al. (2020) argued that parents can play an essential role in shaping beliefs, behaviors, and values associated with drinking. Thus, a pool of literature on the topic elicits both negative and positive criticism of the approach, which will be extensively highlighted in this study.
The approach has distinct advantages associated with the parent’s relationship with their children, reflective of reducing the impact of alcohol abuse. Kelly et al. (2017) indicated that parent-based interventions support children’s values that influence the choice of environments and friends, reducing the probability of drinking. Moreover, the approach integrates objectivity as a value, and alternative activities, such as performance, can be selected. Concurrently, the approach emphasizes warning that allows awareness of the risks of alcohol use, including accidents associated with injuries and death (Napper et al., 2020). Thus, the children may opt to avoid such fates by avoiding alcohol use.
Conversely, there are risks in applying parent-based teaching on responsible drinking. The potential risks include the perception of approval when teaching and influencing liberal choices in children. Relevance of advice is also a risk when parents focus on prevention and warning while disassociating those already drinking and requiring advice on safe consumption (Napper et al., 2020). Moreover, the advice may entail ambiguous phrases such as moderate drinking, which may be different levels for different people. Conclusively, the approach significantly impacts the struggle to prevent alcohol abuse but requires being informed on the appropriate mechanisms to employ.
References
Bo, A., Hai, A. H., & Jaccard, J. (2018). Parent-based interventions on adolescent alcohol use outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 191, 98–109.
Kelly, L. M., Becker, S. J., & Spirito, A. (2017). Parental monitoring protects against the effects of parent and adolescent depressed mood on adolescent drinking. Addictive Behaviors, 75, 7–11.
Napper, L. E., Wolter, L. C., & Ebersole, D. S. (2020). ‘Mama Don’t Preach’: Young Adults’ Perceptions of Maternal Messages about Underage Drinking. Journal of Family Communication, 20(2), 160–174. h