Parental R-rated movie restriction and early-onset alcohol use.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine if parental restriction regarding Restricted-rated movies (R movies) predicts lower rates of early-onset alcohol use.


METHODS
Students from 15 northern New England middle schools were surveyed in 1999, and never-drinkers were resurveyed 13-26 months later to determine alcohol use. Drinking was determined by the question, "Have you ever had beer, wine, or other drink with alcohol that your parents didn't know about?" R-movie restriction was assessed by the question, "How often do your parents allow you to watch movies that are rated R?"


RESULTS
The sample included 2,406 baseline never-drinkers who were surveyed at follow-up, of whom 14.8% had initiated alcohol use. At baseline, 20% reported never being allowed to watch R movies, and 21% reported being allowed all the time. Adolescents allowed to watch R-rated movies had higher rates of alcohol initiation (2.9% initiation among never allowed, 12.5% once in a while, 18.8% sometimes, and 24.4% all the time). Controlling for sociodemographics, personality characteristics, and authoritative parenting style, the adjusted odds ratios for initiating alcohol use were 3.0 (95% CI [1.7, 5.1]) for those once in a while allowed, 3.3 [1.9, 5.6] for those sometimes allowed, and 3.5 [2.0, 6.0] for those always allowed to watch R-rated movies. Alcohol initiation was more likely if R-rated movie restriction relaxed over time; tightening of restriction had a protective effect (p < .001). A structural model was developed that modeled two latent parenting constructs: (a) authoritative parenting and (b) media parenting. Both constructs had direct inverse paths to trying alcohol and indirect paths through lower exposure to R-rated movies.


CONCLUSIONS
After accounting for differences in authoritative parenting style, adolescents reporting lesser restrictions for R movies have higher odds of future alcohol use. The structural model suggests that media parenting operates independently from authoritative parenting and should be incorporated explicitly into parenting prevention programs.
Tanski
Susanne E
SE
Department of Pediatrics and Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-1404, USA.
Dal Cin
Sonya
S
Stoolmiller
Mike
M
Sargent
James D
JD
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001318:Authoritarianism; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009040:Motion Pictures / Q000145:classification*; D016487:Parenting; D012307:Risk Factors
Health Psychol. 2009 Jul;28(4):473-83
19594272
Commun Methods Meas. 2008 Jan;2(1-2):134-151
19122801
Can J Public Health. 2001 May-Jun;92(3):206-9
11496632
Pediatrics. 2006 Nov;118(5):1932-42
17079564
Am Psychol. 2001 Jun-Jul;56(6-7):477-89
11413871
JAMA. 2000 Sep 27;284(12):1527-33
11000646
Addiction. 2008 Oct;103(10):1722-30
18821879
J Stud Alcohol. 2003 Jan;64(1):23-31
12608480
Addiction. 2007 Oct;102(10):1597-608
17854336
Health Educ Behav. 1998 Jun;25(3):319-37
9615242
Addiction. 1994 Aug;89(8):1007-16
7950847
Health Psychol. 2007 Nov;26(6):769-76
18020850
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003 Jul;157(7):643-8
12860784
Adolesc Med Clin. 2005 Jun;16(2):345-70, ix
16111622
J Stud Alcohol. 1997 May;58(3):280-90
9130220
Alcohol Alcohol. 2001 Jan-Feb;36(1):85-8
11139422
Prev Sci. 2010 Mar;11(1):1-13
19655251
Psychol Addict Behav. 2008 Jun;22(2):269-77
18540724
Eff Clin Pract. 2002 Jan-Feb;5(1):1-10
11874190
J Stud Alcohol. 2006 Jan;67(1):54-65
16536129
Alcohol Alcohol. 2007 Jul-Aug;42(4):362-9
17537828
Pediatrics. 2004 Sep;114(3):e280-9
15342887
Addict Behav. 1996 Sep-Oct;21(5):633-44
8876762
Prev Med. 1996 May-Jun;25(3):293-300
8781007
Addict Behav. 1997 Sep-Oct;22(5):685-98
9347070
BMJ. 2001 Dec 15;323(7326):1394-7
11744562
Prev Med. 1999 Dec;29(6 Pt 1):460-5
10600426
Accid Anal Prev. 2002 Jan;34(1):85-92
11789578
Addiction. 2008 Dec;103(12):1925-32
18705684
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008 Jan;32(1):108-19
18070249
J Behav Med. 2008 Jun;31(3):189-200
18189121
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003 Apr 1;69(3):253-62
12633911
J Subst Abuse. 1997;9:103-10
9494942
Pediatrics. 2001 Oct;108(4):872-7
11581438
Pediatrics. 2004 Jul;114(1):149-56
15231921