Examining the mediating role of alcohol abuse on Romanian adolescents’ violent behavior: A gender stratified analysis

• In Event: Crime, alcohol, and other drugs

Abstract

Using data collected in 2022 from a stratified random sample of Romanian adolescents (16- and 17-year-olds) enrolled in 89 high schools in Bucharest, Romania (N = 3,834), the present study intends to identify the direct and indirect effects of the factors more likely to predict alcohol abuse (i.e., getting drunk) on violent behavior. The gender-stratified analysis is informed by the social bonding (Hirschi, 1969) and social learning (Akers, 1973) theories of delinquency and crime. Although alcohol consumption by minors is illegal in Romania, results show that only 28% of the respondents acknowledged never drinking alcohol during the year preceding the survey and 36% of the study participants admitted getting drunk at least once in the past 12 months. Findings also show that in both gender groups, alcohol abuse is significantly related to violence perpetration. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, association with friends who abuse alcohol, pro-drinking definitions, and parental reinforcement of drinking habits predict an increase in episodes of heavy drinking for both boys and girls. Conversely, male and female students who reported parental monitoring were significantly less likely to acknowledge getting drunk. While in both gender groups, parental attachment and the student’s involvement in extracurricular activities did not impact significantly variations in alcohol abuse, boys who reported a lack of attachment to school were more likely to engage in heavy drinking. Having supportive adults in school and living with both parents acted as delinquency deterrents for girls, while an authoritarian parenting style decreased significantly the male adolescents’ alcohol abuse. Additional findings will be presented, and the implications of the findings will be also discussed.

Authors

• Emanuel Adrian Sarbu, University of Bucharest, Romania

• Viviana Andreescu, Department of Criminal Justice University of Louisville Louisville, KY, USA

• Aura Marcela Preda, ”Spiru Haret” University

• Florin Lazar, University of Bucharest, Romania