Children's development of alcohol use norms: Contributions of parent and sibling norms, children's temperaments, and parent-child discussions

This study explored the unique contributions of children's temperaments, parents' and siblings' alcohol use norms, and parent-child discussions to 10- to 12-year-old children's alcohol use norms. Independent assessments of each family member's alcohol use norms, mother- and father-reported child temperament assessments, and child reports of the frequency and nature of parent-child discussions were obtained for 171 families. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed a moderational effect: Children whose temperaments placed them at greater risk for alcohol problems in adolescence and early adulthood reported alcohol use norms that became more liberal as other family members' norms became liberal. Frequent and bidirectional parent-child discussions were linked with less liberal alcohol use norms. The results support a transactional model of norm development that features interplay among children's temperaments and family processes.