Do Family Structure and Family Income Mediate the Influence of Negative Life Events on Alcohol Use in Adolescents?

Purpose: This study investigated the potential mediating roles of family structure and income in the association between exposure to life events in the past year (e.g., moving to a new city, problems in school) and youth alcohol use in the past 30 days.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 1017 randomly-selected ethnically-diverse parents and their children (mean age = 14.3 years). Fourteen life events were examined and categorized into 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4+ events. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses with alcohol use as the outcome were conducted. Demographic variables were controlled for as appropriate. A variable was determined to be a mediator if the odds ratio (OR) estimate changed by 10% or more when it was added to the model.

Results: Life events were significantly associated (p<.05) with family income, family structure, and alcohol use. As the number of life events increased, the proportion using alcohol significantly increased. The odds of alcohol use were almost twice as high (OR=1.77) for youth reporting 1 event and over 3 times (OR = 3.37) as high for those reporting 4+ events than for those reporting no events. Family income and family structure were significant mediators of the relationship.

Conclusions: Exposure to commonly experienced negative life events is associated with increased risk for alcohol use. Family structure and income have an important role in the association, suggesting that youth living in lower income or one-parent households are particularly susceptible to alcohol use in the presence of negative life events.