Adolescent Alcohol Use and Academic Achievement

Nelson R. Hamblin, Jr.

Eastern Michigan University

Background and Research Problem

Recent trends in adolescent alcohol use and attitudes are moving in directions favorable to society considering the

association between alcohol use and negative consequences.

Still, level of alcohol use, binge drinking and acceptance attitudes remain high among adolescents.

2012, Monitoring The Future

A clear relation between academic performance (at the secondary level)

and drinking has not been fully studied.

Balsa Giuliano, and French, 2009

No statistically significant finding, yet extrapolation

of the findings would indicate a possible link.

Cox, Zhang, Johnson, and Bender, 2007

Again, no statistically significant finding, but the researchers did

state that binge drinkers had lower grades.

And at the collegiate level…

Wolaver, 2007

“The direct effect of drinking on GPA is

uniformly negative”

Paul, 2008

The result that drinking has no influence on their

GPA is surprising”

Therefore, the relation between drinking and academics remains open to further study because…

1. Researchers looking at the secondary level continue to suspect an elusive relation.

2. Researchers looking at the post-secondary level are inconsistent in their collective findings.

Research Question

Does alcohol use impact the academic achievement of high school adolescents?

• A path analysis model was employed.

• Analysis of the model relied on multiple regressions.

• Factors found to be associated with alcohol use and abuse by other researchers were included.

• Controlling for these alcohol related variables led to a clear answer to the study question.

To answer this question…

By including alcohol related variables, a second research question emerges:

What factors impact alcohol use or abuse?

Secondary Research Question

Conceptual Framework:Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1971).

Individuals will make behavior choices based on expected outcomes.

Individuals will respond to their environment by

copying behaviors even when no obvious reward or

punishment is expected.

• Study was open to all students• Encouraged through class visits• School-wide video announcements• Consent form required for all students• Parental consent required for all students

Recruitment

Response Rate 10.6%

The School

• Secondary, grades 9-12• One of three district high schools• High standardized test scores• High post-secondary placement• Wealthy area within Oakland County, MI

Sample PopulationStudents 178 1679Gender (Female) 61% 51%

Gender/Class

Sample PopulationFreshmen 31% 30%Sophomores 16% 23%Juniors 24% 22%Seniors 29% 25%

• Mean Sample Age: 16.0 years• Population: The student body of the study school

Sample PopulationCaucasian 89% 92%Hispanic 3% 2%African America 2% 4%Asian 2% 2%Arab 1% N/AChaldean 1% N/AMultiracial 2%Other 1%

Ethnicity

OaklandCounty

State ofMichigan

Caucasian 73% 76%Black 14% 14%Asian 6% 3%Hispanic 4% 5%Multiracial 2% 2%

Religious Preference SampleChristian ( non-Catholic) 38%Catholic 30%None 20%Jewish 6%Other 4%Buddhism 1%Hindu 0%Islam 0%

Religious Preference of Sample

Behaviors of the SampleAcademics and Drinking

Academic Indicator SampleCumulative High School GPA

3.286, (Range .330-4.33)

GPA during term prior to Survey

3.220 (Range .000-4.141)

ACT Score (when available)

23.25 (14-35)

Mean classes missed during term prior to survey: 25.43. Six classes meet each day on the typical student schedule.

Drinking Behaviors Sample MeanAge at first drink 14.21 yearsDrinking days over the last month

1.71 days

Most drinks taken on one occasion over last two weeks

2.58 drinks

Number of occasions where 5+ drinks were taken at once over last two weeks

1.42 occasions

Drinking Attitudes

• When asked if drinking was ok for people their own age, the mean answer fell between, “Once per week, but not more” and “once per month but not more”, but closer to the latter (3.63).

• When asked if consuming 5+ drinks in one occasion was ok for people their own age, the mean answer fell between, “Once a month is ok” and “Drinking like this is never ok”, but closer to the former (3.22).

Additionally, students were asked about cigarette and marijuana use.

Sample MeanUse of cigarettes over last month

13%

Use of marijuana over last month

25%

Although the review of the literature suggested that these variables may be significant, they were not in this particular study.

Initial Path Analysis(after a review of the literature and

development of a theoretical framework)

Secondary Initial Path AnalysisVariables were removed that were unlikely to be present

in the study sample, too difficult to obtain, or deemed likely to be rejected by the study district.

After the study sample was surveyed…

Exploratory factor analysis was performed with the use of a rotated component matrix.

19 Variables were identified:• 12 Manifest• 7 Latent

Level IManifest Variables

FemaleSophomoreJuniorSeniorParent Education LevelDivorce of ParentsAge of First Drink

Level ILatent Variables

Parental ExpectationsHome Drinking Environment

Level IIManifest Variables

Athletic HoursWork HoursDrinking FriendsPerceived PopularityGrade Importance

Level IILatent Variables

Pro Social BehaviorReligious ActivityBullied

Level III, Latent Variable

Drinking (Behaviors and Attitudes)

Level IV, Latent Variable

Academic Achievement

Explanations of Latent Variables

Path Analysis and Linear Regressions(19 Study Variables)

Numbers represent: Regression Coefficient, Significance

As the path analysis indicates, no significant relation between drinking and academic performance was found in this study.

However, variables closely related to alcohol use and attitudes were identified.

Primary Study Question:

Secondary Study Questions:

Study Question Results

Path Analysis and Linear RegressionsDrinking Behaviors and Attitudes

First Order Variables Leading to Drinking

• First Drink (manifest)

• Drinking Friends (manifest)

• Gender (manifest)

T. Eitle D. Eitle (2007)African Americans begin drinking later, but experience more severe alcohol related consequences when they do initiate drinking at a younger age.

Swahn, Bossarte, West, & Topalli (2009) There is a correlation between gang membership and early alcohol use. This correlation is strongest for those who initiate use prior to age 13.

Kim-Godwin, Clements, Bullers, Maume, & Demski (2007) There is a correlation between early alcohol use (prior to age 11) and drinking just prior to having sex as adolescents.

Drinking: First Drink

Mayeux, Sandstrom, and Cillessen (2008)Perceived popularity in under classmen (10th grade) was a precursor to higher levels of alcohol use and sexual activity as upperclassmen. Perceived popularity of males remained constant, females perception changed with age.

Dawkins, Williams, and Guilbault (2011 )Athletics was found to be a risk factor for alcohol use for Whites, but a protective factor for Blacks.

Fredricks and Eccles (2006)Lower alcohol use was associated with athletic participation.

Drinking: Drinking Friends

Mrug, Borch, & Cillessen (2010)Other sex friendships predicted lower levels of drinking for 12th grade boys, but girls were more likely to initiate smoking if they had other sex friendships. No relation was found for students 11th grade and younger.

Steinman, Ferketich, & Sahr (2008) Religious activity led to higher levels of alcohol use for whites, but lower for blacks.

Paxton, Valois, and Drane (2006)

No relation between Black males or females using alcohol and their family structure.

For White females living with both parents is protective, but living with mother and stepfather led to more drinking.

For White males, living with father and stepmother was associated with ever trying drinking for white males.

Drinking Friends: Gender

Path Analysis and Linear RegressionsAcademic Achievement

First Order Variables Leading to Academic Achievement

• Parent Education (manifest)

• Grade Importance (manifest)

• Bullied (latent)

Barry, B. Chaney, and J. Chaney (2011)Higher parental education level for mother or father correlates to higher educational aspirations of the child.

Fredricks and Eccles (2006) Parental education level is a positive predictor of child’s school grades and child’s educational expectations.

T. Eitle D. Eitle (2007)Whites reported the lowest level of school commitment followed by Hispanics, and Blacks had the highest level.

Academic Achievement: Parent Education AND Grade Importance

Rusby, Forrester, and Metzler (2005) Verbal and physical abuse in middle grades predicted alcohol use in high school.

Ramisetty-Mikler, Goebert, Nishimura, and Caetano (2006)Early initiation of drinking and binge drinking were both factors found to be related to higher levels of dating violence.

Academic Achievement: Bullied

Implications for Research

Link between drinking and academic performance is weak at best and non-existent in the study population.

Further research into drinking among adolescents should be focused on other variables found to be related to drinking.

In this study, gender, drinking friends, and age of first drink were found to have a significant relation to drinking and drinking behaviors.

Future research concerning adolescent drinking may be better directed at social consequences.

Groups not present in large enough numbers in the current study include racial minorities, and LGBT identification and issues were not considered.

Because these variables are related to social relationships, they are worthy of further study.

Implications for Practice

Educational stakeholders need to be careful not to make assumptions about the causes drinking and of poor academic performance.

We need to be careful not to assume that the lack of academic difficulties means that alcohol is not a possible problem in an individual student’s experience.

Gender, age of first drink, and friendships are indicators of alcohol use and attitudes that professionals should be concerned with.

Implications for Theory

A strong relation between alcohol use and academics seems logical. This introduces bias into theory.

The relation between social variables and alcohol use should be examined as social variables may be used to better predict poor behaviors in adolescents.

Social variables related to the family and individual expectations as well as peer relations are more important when it comes to academics and drinking than we might assume.

Implications for Theory: New Latent Variables

While ultimately irrelevant to the current study, the “Home Drink” latent variable addresses a topic that may be under-studied in alcohol related questions.

As in the latent variable, “Bullied” in this study, future researchers should consider on-line harassment as part of bullying. In my own case, this manifest component would have been missed had it not been for a pilot study.

Five of the latent variables used in this study addressed subjects that the researcher and experts in the field may have expected. Two, however, were surprising to the researcher.

Implication for Theory: Bandura

Social Learning Theory suggests that behaviors are a result of expectations or mimicking observed behavior.

In this study, three (all manifest) variables were found to influence adolescent drinking behavior and attitudes.

Two of those variables, gender, and age of first drink, seem to indicate that there is room in Social Learning Theory for…

Gender roles: social and/or genetic

Developmentally specific behaviors and their lasting impacts.

Personal Growth of the ResearcherAppreciation of following statistical results when creating research models.

Appreciation of how much time and energy is necessary in order to answer questions that may seem simple to non-academics.

The importance of using well grounded research in practice so that bias can be minimized.

Doctoral students should heed the advice of the faculty and refrain from major life changes during the dissertation process. This can not be stressed enough.

Family, especially parents, spouses, and children are more important than any research.

Therefore, when research is conducted at the expense of time and energy better spent on one’s family, it is comforting to know that the research may be used to improve the lives of others.

Parents, spouses, and children are partners in the dissertation process and no amount of recognition will compensate them for the support they give to a doctoral candidate.

My changing personal view of the research process:

Research can be both time-consuming, and expensive.

Meaningful (carefully done) research is of great value not only to the field of study but inherently due to the above costs.

Putting these ideas together, I have come to view any piece of research in terms of the costly process that was undertaken in order to obtain the results.

Thank you for your consideration of and attention to

my study.