Role of Parents and Religiosity in Regular Alcohol Use Among Christian College Students: A Mixed Method Approach Among Two Cohorts

Abstract This study examined the role religiosity and parents play in regular alcohol use among Christian college students. Responses from a health risk behavior survey given on an alcohol-abstinent Christian campus in 2012 and 2018 were analyzed. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to develop a model that explains the frequency of regular alcohol use amongst the two cohorts to see if the model changed over time. Results show a model of open communication with parents, age, religious participation, and religious belief decreased regular alcohol use in both cohorts. Open communication with parents played a more protective role in 2018 compared to 2012. Follow-up focus groups in 2018 supported these results with some variations. Parents are encouraged to communicate expectations clearly, but in a nonjudgmental way and encourage their adolescent’s spiritual development.