Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China
Abstract Background Gender differences in alcohol use are more substantial among early adolescents in China than in the United States, presumably because of more permissive drinking norms for boys than girls in Chinese culture. This study tested a theory that gender differences in early experimentat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2020-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09195-2 |
| _version_ | 1818198085454528512 |
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| author | Ai Bo James Jaccard |
| author_facet | Ai Bo James Jaccard |
| author_sort | Ai Bo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Gender differences in alcohol use are more substantial among early adolescents in China than in the United States, presumably because of more permissive drinking norms for boys than girls in Chinese culture. This study tested a theory that gender differences in early experimentation with alcohol can be reduced through general parenting practices. Whereas traditional research has identified mediators of gender differences in alcohol use, the current research isolated moderators of gender differences and developed their implications for prevention programs. Methods The study analyzed the data from the China Global School-Based Student Health Survey (n = 8805 middle school students in four cities). Youth completed anonymous surveys in classroom settings. The study examined interaction effects between gender and parenting variables using multiple regression with robust standard errors. Results Early adolescent boys exhibited higher levels of drinking than girls for all drinking outcomes. The gender differences in drinking were negatively associated with the level of perceived parental monitoring, parental involvement in adolescent school performance, and parental empathy in a nonlinear way. Conclusions Results suggested that early adolescents’ perceptions of general parenting practice nonlinearly moderated gender disparities in alcohol use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:00:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac7b756807a64eb28c2216d642dd0144 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:00:16Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac7b756807a64eb28c2216d642dd01442022-12-22T00:42:12ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582020-07-0120111210.1186/s12889-020-09195-2Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in ChinaAi Bo0James Jaccard1Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, Department of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeSilver School of Social Work, New York UniversityAbstract Background Gender differences in alcohol use are more substantial among early adolescents in China than in the United States, presumably because of more permissive drinking norms for boys than girls in Chinese culture. This study tested a theory that gender differences in early experimentation with alcohol can be reduced through general parenting practices. Whereas traditional research has identified mediators of gender differences in alcohol use, the current research isolated moderators of gender differences and developed their implications for prevention programs. Methods The study analyzed the data from the China Global School-Based Student Health Survey (n = 8805 middle school students in four cities). Youth completed anonymous surveys in classroom settings. The study examined interaction effects between gender and parenting variables using multiple regression with robust standard errors. Results Early adolescent boys exhibited higher levels of drinking than girls for all drinking outcomes. The gender differences in drinking were negatively associated with the level of perceived parental monitoring, parental involvement in adolescent school performance, and parental empathy in a nonlinear way. Conclusions Results suggested that early adolescents’ perceptions of general parenting practice nonlinearly moderated gender disparities in alcohol use.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09195-2Parental monitoringParental empathyParental involvementUnderage drinking |
| spellingShingle | Ai Bo James Jaccard Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China BMC Public Health Parental monitoring Parental empathy Parental involvement Underage drinking |
| title | Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China |
| title_full | Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China |
| title_fullStr | Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China |
| title_short | Parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use: the case of early adolescents in China |
| title_sort | parenting as an inhibitor of gender disparities in alcohol use the case of early adolescents in china |
| topic | Parental monitoring Parental empathy Parental involvement Underage drinking |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-020-09195-2 |
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