3-237 - Peers, romantic partners, and drinking: Understanding diverse social influences on alcohol use in adolescence and young adulthood

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Adolescence and young adulthood are developmental periods of increased risk for problematic alcohol use. Both romantic partners and peers influence alcohol-related behaviors and attitudes, necessitating research on how these multiple social influences shape alcohol use and its interpersonal consequences. The papers presented in this symposium examine the peer and romantic partner correlates of individuals’ own alcohol use and the consequences of self and partner drinking on intimate partner aggression. These studies use information from multiple sources, including self and partner reports, couple observations, and social networks; and include dyadic and longitudinal designs.
Paper 1 uses social network measures, finding that adolescents’ alcohol use is more strongly associated with the behaviors and attitudes of friends and partner’s friends than of romantic partners. In contrast, Paper 2 finds that perceptions of both partner and peer substance use are uniquely, positively associated with individuals’ own alcohol use over time. Additionally, higher romantic partner substance use amplified the longitudinal association between peer substance use and alcohol use. Paper 3 uses dyadic data to examine the associations between alcohol abuse, perceptions of partner’s alcohol abuse, and emotional/verbal aggression in romantic couples. Both individuals’ own alcohol abuse and perceptions of partners’ alcohol abuse positively predicted aggression.
These papers investigate the important topic of alcohol use in adolescence and young adulthood. The discussant will highlight how diverse social relationships and perceptions contribute to alcohol use and its consequences and address the potential impact of interventions that address the relational contexts of drinking during this period.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chair

• Rose Wesche, The Pennsylvania State University

Discussant

• Eva Lefkowitz, University of Connecticut

Individual Presentations

• Friends, romantic partners, and partners’ friends: Associations with alcohol use via behavior, socializing, and attitudes - Presenting Author: Rose Wesche, The Pennsylvania State University; Derek Kreager, Pennsylvania State University

• Peer and romantic partner influences on alcohol consumption in emerging adulthood: Independent and interactive associations - Presenting Author: Jessica Salvatore, Virginia Commonwealth University; Seung Bin Cho, Virginia Commonwealth University; Nate Thomas, Virginia Commonwealth University; James Li, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Kenneth Kendler, Virginia Commonwealth University; Danielle Dick, Virginia Commonwealth University

• He said, She said: Self-report and observational assessments of alcohol abuse and emotional/verbal aggression - Presenting Author: Logan Stigall, Kent State University; Elizabeth Baker, Kent State University; Haylee DeLuca, Kent State University; Manfred van Dulmen, Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, USA