PERCEIVED PARENTS RELIGIOSITY, FRIENDS DRINKING, AND HELLFIRE - A PANEL STUDY OF ADOLESCENT DRINKING

Prior research into the relationship between the religious factor and delinquency often has considered the role of peers. However, few have examined, in any systematic way, the influence of parents' religiosity. This paper uses three-wave panel data to examine the alternative hypotheses that the influence of parents' religiosity, as perceived by respondents, on adolescent drinking behavior is: 1) direct, presumably though exertion of greater controls on youthful behavior consistent with the religious practices and orientations of parents; 2) indirect, through the individual adolescent's religious commitment and beliefs; or 3) indirect, through the selection of friends who either use or do not use alcohol The findings provide qualified support for hypotheses 2 and 3. The results also show that parental religious influence diminishes over time, especially among male adolescents. The findings do not support the contention of some that the relationship between the religious factor and deviance among adolescents is confounded by measures of religiosity that reflect simple conformity to parental wishes.