Alcohol consumption among Chilean adolescents: Examining individual, peer, parenting and environmental factors.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether adolescents from Santiago, Chile who had never drunk alcohol differed from those who had drunk alcohol but who had never experienced an alcohol-related problem, as well as from those who had drunk and who had experienced at least one alcohol-related problem on a number of variables from four domains - individual, peers, parenting, and environmental.


METHODS
Cross-sectional.


METHODS
Community based sample.


METHODS
909 adolescents from Santiago, Chile.


METHODS
Data were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression to compare adolescents who had never drunk alcohol (non-drinkers) with i) those that had drunk but who had experienced no alcohol-related problems (non-problematic drinkers) and ii) those who had drunk alcohol and had experienced at least one alcohol-related problem (problematic drinkers). The analyses included individual, peer, parenting, and environmental factors while controlling for age, sex, and socioeconomic status.


RESULTS
Compared to non-drinkers, both non-problematic and problematic drinkers were older, reported having more friends who drank alcohol, greater exposure to alcohol ads, lower levels of parental monitoring, and more risk-taking behaviors. In addition, problematic drinkers placed less importance on religious faith to make daily life decisions and had higher perceptions of neighborhood crime than non-drinkers.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevention programs aimed at decreasing problematic drinking could benefit from drawing upon adolescents' spiritual sources of strength, reinforcing parental tools to monitor their adolescents, and improving environmental and neighborhood conditions.
Professor and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Michigan 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Ph: 734-936-3898; jdelva@umich.edu.
Guillermo E
GE
Sanhueza
Professor and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Michigan 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Ph: 734-936-3898; jdelva@umich.edu.
Jorge
J
Delva
Assistant Professor. School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University. 1001 West Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23284-2027. Ph: 804-828-2845; cbares@vcu.edu.
Cristina B
CB
Bares
Associate Professor. School of Social Work, University of Michigan 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Ph: 734-615-3369; agrogan@umich.edu.
Andrew
A
Grogan-Kaylor
Chile; adolescents; alcohol; drinking; factors