title: Peers and social network on alcohol drinking through early adolescence in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to identify peers and social network characteristics associated with drinking occasions through early adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample of 1808 middle school students (aged 13-15 years) in northern Taiwan was collected via a two-wave longitudinal study of the Alcohol-Related Experiences among Children (AREC). Data concerning individual sociodemographics, family characteristics, peer influence, and alcohol drinking behaviors were collected via web-based self-administered questionnaire. Building upon the maximum of five friends nominated by young respondents at 7th grade, class-based social network was first constructed via the UCINET and Pajek; the network position (i.e., member, bridge, and isolate) for each student was subsequently ascertained. Complex surveys analyses and negative binominal regression models were used to evaluate concurrent and prospective relationship estimates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Effects of peers and social network were found to operate differentially by childhood alcohol experience. For the alcohol naïve youngsters, receiving higher peer's nomination at baseline was linked with subsequent increased drinking occasions (adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio [aIRR]=1.06; 95% CI=1.01-1.10), whereas having peers against alcohol drinking may reduce drinking occasions at 9th grade (aIRR=0.59; 95% CI=0.41-0.87). For the alcohol experienced youngsters, having parental alcohol offer, drinking peers, and attending classes of higher drinking norms may increase future drinking occasions by 90%, 80% and 44%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrated that parental alcohol offer, peer norms, and social network may affect adolescent drinking occasions differentially depending on childhood drinking experience. The findings have implications for the interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in underage population.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: I-Chen
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan; Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 128, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Te-Tien
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Duan-Rung
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fang-Yi
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center of Neuropsychiatric Center, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan. Electronic address: chuanychen@ym.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chuan-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Adolescents; Alcohol; Peers; Social network