Family affluence as a protective or risk factor for adolescent drunkenness in different countries and the role drinking motives play

AIMS: Previous research has shown mixed results (positive, negative or no effects) regarding socio-economic disparities in adolescent drunkenness. This study investigates whether family affluence is differently associated with frequency of adolescent drunkenness in traditional countries, at a later diffusion of innovation adopter stage according to the Theory of Diffusions of Innovations by Rogers (2003), compared with more progressive countries at a more advanced stage. Furthermore, we investigated as to whether differences in this association can be explained by differences in adolescent drinking motives.

METHODS: This study used data from the 2009/2010 survey of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, including 25,566 alcohol-using adolescents aged 11-19 years old from 11 European countries. The Global Innovativeness Index was used to classify countries in progressive or more traditional countries. Multi-level regression analyses and structural equation modelling were conducted.

FINDINGS: In traditional countries, family affluence showed a positive association with adolescent frequency of drunkenness. A higher endorsement of social (drinking to celebrate an event) and enhancement motives (drinking to increase moods) by adolescents with a higher family affluence mediated this positive association between family affluence and frequency of drunkenness. In progressive countries, family affluence was negatively associated with frequency of drunkenness. In these countries, a higher endorsement of coping drinking motives by adolescents with a lower family affluence mediated this association.

CONCLUSION: A country's diffusion of innovation stage (i.e., traditional vs. progressive) seems to shape the direction of the association between family affluence and adolescent drunkenness including the psychological pathways that explain these socio-economic inequalities. This is most likely due to a quicker and smoother adoption of the new 'low drunkenness norms' ('it is not cool to drink to get drunk') in progressive countries and among adolescents with a higher family affluence.