Religiosity, Alcohol Use Attitudes, and Alcohol Use in a National Sample of Adolescents

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate alcohol use attitudes as a mediator of the relationship between religiosity and the frequency of past month alcohol use in a national sample of adolescents. Data were drawn from 18,314 adolescents who participated in the 2006 and 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Variables included religiosity, alcohol use attitudes, and past month frequency of alcohol use. Structural equation modeling was used to test alcohol use attitudes as a mediator of the relationship between religiosity and frequency of alcohol use and to test model invariance across 4 racial/ethnic groups. Results suggest that alcohol use attitudes partially mediate the relationship between religiosity and frequency of alcohol use. Furthermore, while the pattern of these relationships is similar across racial/ethnic groups, the magnitude of alcohol use attitudes on frequency of alcohol use differed. Implications for prevention programs include targeting alcohol use attitudes in a variety of settings.
Description
Keywords
Religiosity, Attitudes about Alcohol Use, Alcohol, Racial/Ethnic Differences
Citation
Vaughan, E. L., de Rios, M. A., Steinfeldt, J. A., & Kratz, L. M. (2011). Religiosity, alcohol use attitudes, and alcohol use in a national sample of adolescents. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25, 547-553.
DOI
Link(s) to data and video for this item
Relation
Rights
Copyright 2011 American Psychological Association
Type
Article