title: Investigating associations between perceived parental alcohol-related messages and college student drinking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A debate remains regarding whether parents should teach their children harm-reduction tips for using alcohol while in college or whether they should maintain a zero-tolerance policy. Which type of alcohol-related communication parents should endorse is not empirically clear. The current study made use of a longitudinal measurement-burst design to examine this issue.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 585 second-year students from a large university in the northeastern United States. Participants completed a baseline survey and 14 daily web-based surveys. Students were assessed for perceptions of parental alcohol-related messages and their own alcohol use. Multilevel models were estimated using HLM 6.04.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data indicate that zero-tolerance messages appeared most protective against alcohol use and consequences. Harm-reduction messages were most risky, even when compared with mixed messages or the absence of a message.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings indicate that a zero-tolerance approach was associated with safer outcomes than other messages, even if students were already using alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA. caitlin_abar@brown.edu
authors.forename: Caitlin C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Abar
authors.forename: Nicole R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Meg L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Maggs
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010465:Perception; D010565:Persuasive Communication; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult