Young, wild and free? The social and cultural context of adolescent risk behavior

Adolescence, the transitional phase between childhood and adulthood, is a unique period of discovery and experimentation. It is a complex, but exciting phase of life in which young people gradually develop into adults. While desiring more autonomy and freedom to make their own decisions, adolescents typically distance themselves from their parents and start spending more time with peers, for example in school, while playing sports, or during leisure activities at night in bars and pubs. In the course of this process, many adolescents start experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use as well as sexual behaviors. The aim of this thesis is to increase our understanding of the social and cultural context of substance use and sexual behaviors among 11 to 16 year old adolescents in Europe andNorth America. Specifically, it addresses the roles of educational track and parenting practices (micro-system), national wealth and cultural norms (macro-system), and changes of these influences across time (chrono-system). By addressing factors at different “layers” of the environment, and their interactions, this thesis demonstrates that adolescent substance use and sexual behavior are predicted by a complex interplay of social and cultural factors. Specifically, it shows that: (1) At the micro-level, educational track is a strong predictor of adolescent substance use and sexual activity, with vocational students engaging in these behaviors more frequently compared to academic students. The relatively early timing of the transition to adulthood for vocational students may (at least partly) explain this effect. (2) Independent of educational track, parents play an important role in regards to their children’s substance use and sexual behaviour. By setting restrictive rules and by communicating with their children about these behaviors in a constructive manner, they may protect them against the risks that are involved in engagement in these behaviors. (3) At the macro-level, cultural norms on the acceptability of adolescent sexual activity appear to have an effect on adolescent sexual initiation. Girls in Europe are less likely to be sexually active before the age 15 if they live in countries with conservative age norms (e.g., Ukraine) compared to countries with more liberal norms (e.g., Austria). Notably, this association does not exist for boys. With respect to adolescent substance use, adolescents living in wealthy countries are generally more likely to use substances compared to adolescents in less wealthy countries. Yet, between 2002 and 2010 this effect of high national wealth has decreased, resulting in smaller prevalence differences between adolescents living in wealthy and less wealthy countries and sometimes even in higher prevalence rates among adolescents living in less wealthy countries. (4) Although prevalence rates of adolescent substance use and sexual behavior differ considerably across countries, their co-occurrence rates as well as their psychosocial and health correlates show strong similarities across countries. The findings of this thesis have implications for future research, policy, and prevention programs targeting adolescents, parents, and school

Alcoholgebruik bij jongeren in Nederland : Van zuipschuit van Europa tot het braafste kindje van de klas

Alcohol en jongeren: ze zijn onlosmakelijk aan elkaar verbonden. Tenminste, dat was een vanzelfsprekendheid tot de millenniumwisseling. Breezers waren onmiskenbaar populair en ouders deden niet moeilijk over een biertje op de bank op zaterdagavond of een glas champagne met oud en nieuw. Tegenwoordig is dat anders. Na een piek in 2003 is het alcoholgebruik onder jongeren in Nederland enorm gedaald. Hoe kunnen we deze daling verklaren? En zijn jongeren nu echt braver geworden, of lijkt dat slechts zo? In dit artikel laten wij op basis van recente ontwikkelingen in Nederland en andere westerse landen zien dat er een verschuiving is opgetreden in manieren waarop jongeren een eigen jeugdcultuur creëren

Alcoholgebruik bij jongeren in Nederland : Van zuipschuit van Europa tot het braafste kindje van de klas

Alcohol en jongeren: ze zijn onlosmakelijk aan elkaar verbonden. Tenminste, dat was een vanzelfsprekendheid tot de millenniumwisseling. Breezers waren onmiskenbaar populair en ouders deden niet moeilijk over een biertje op de bank op zaterdagavond of een glas champagne met oud en nieuw. Tegenwoordig is dat anders. Na een piek in 2003 is het alcoholgebruik onder jongeren in Nederland enorm gedaald. Hoe kunnen we deze daling verklaren? En zijn jongeren nu echt braver geworden, of lijkt dat slechts zo? In dit artikel laten wij op basis van recente ontwikkelingen in Nederland en andere westerse landen zien dat er een verschuiving is opgetreden in manieren waarop jongeren een eigen jeugdcultuur creëren

Parental alcohol-specific rules effectively reduce adolescents’ tobacco and cannabis: use A longitudinal study

Aims The current study aimed to longitudinally examine the direct and indirect effects (via alcohol use) of parental alcohol-specific rule-setting on adolescent tobacco and cannabis use. Based on the gateway hypothesis, we expected parental alcohol-specific rules to affect adolescent tobacco and cannabis use through adolescent alcohol use. Design and participants A longitudinal design including three waves and 906 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 13.51 years, SD = 0.60) was used to apply zero-inflated Poisson models (ZIP). Measurements Self-report questionnaires measured adolescents’ perceived rules about alcohol at T1, cigarette use at T1 and T3 (frequency of life-time and current smoking), cannabis use at T1/T3 (frequency of yearly and monthly use) and frequency of monthly alcohol use at T1/T2. Findings Stricter alcohol-specific rules at T1 predicted lower incidence and prevalence rates of cigarette (life-time: β = −0.20, p < .00; current: β = −0.21, p = .04) and cannabis use (monthly: β = −0.43, p = .02; yearly: β = −0.28, p = .19) two years later (T3). This direct effect was no longer significant when alcohol use at T1 was controlled for. Moreover, a significant indirect effect of alcohol-specific rules at T1 on tobacco and cannabis use T3 via monthly alcohol use T2 was found. Conclusions The current study demonstrated that strict rules regarding alcohol may not only reduce alcohol but subsequently also other substance use such as tobacco and cannabis. Thus, interventions targeting the prevention of alcohol use, which appears to serve as a gateway, also affects the involvement in other substances

Country-level gender equality and adolescent contraceptive use in Europe, Canada and Israel: Findings from the HBSC study in 33 countries

CONTEXT. Cross-national variation in adolescent contraceptive use is widely documented, but social explanations for this variation are scarce. Based on the assumption that societal gender equality relates to the cultural acceptability of contraceptive use and increases (young) women’s ability to actively participate in decision-making regarding contraception, this study examined whether adolescent contraceptive use was more prevalent in countries with higher levels of gender equality. METHODS. Nationally representative data from 33 countries that participated in the 2013/14 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study (N = 8,181) were combined with a country-level measure of gender equality (i.e., the Global Gender Gap Index; GGGI). HBSC respondents (aged 14-16 years) self-reported contraceptive use (condom and contraceptive pill) at last sexual intercourse. Multinominal logistic multilevel regression analyses were run separately by sex to obtain associations between gender equality and contraceptive use as reported by boys and girls. RESULTS. Gender equality related positively to condom use, contraceptive pill use, and dual use (i.e., of condom and contraceptive pill) among boys as well as girls, with ORs ranging from 1.4 (condom use among boys) to 9.6 (birth control pill use among girls). Associations with contraceptive pill and dual use remained significant when controlling for national wealth and income inequality. Overall, associations were stronger for girls, compared to boys. CONCLUSIONS. Macro-level gender equality relates to contraceptive use among adolescent boys and girls. More research is needed to identify causal pathways and potential mechanisms through which gender equality and adolescent contraceptive use may affect one another

Trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands, 1992-2015. Differences across sociodemographic groups and links with strict parental rule-setting.

BACKGROUND: From an international perspective, studying trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands is an important case study. Whereas Dutch adolescents topped the international rankings of alcohol consumption in the beginning of this century, they are nowadays found more toward the bottom of these rankings. This study examines time trends in adolescent alcohol use between 1992 and 2015, and tests whether these trends differ according to gender, age group, and educational track. Moreover, it examines to what extent the strictness of parental rule-setting can explain the identified trends. METHODS: Using data from ten waves of two nationally representative studies with a repeated cross-sectional design, trends were examined for eight different alcohol measures. Interaction analyses were conducted to test for subgroup differences. All analyses were controlled for educational track, family structure, and ethnicity. For the period 2007-2015, trends in parental alcohol-specific rule-setting were included as a predictor of the trends in adolescent alcohol use. RESULTS: Adolescent alcohol use increased substantially between 1992 and 2003, and decreased sharply thereafter. Trends were stronger for 12- to 15-year olds, compared to the 16-year olds, and for adolescents attending higher educational tracks, compared to adolescents attending lower educational tracks. Overall, gender differences remained constant over time. Between 2007 and 2015, strict parental alcohol-specific rule-setting increased substantially, and this (partly) explained the strong decline in adolescent alcohol use during this period. CONCLUSION: This study shows clear time trend changes in alcohol use among Dutch adolescents. The phenomenal decrease in adolescent alcohol use since 2003 appears to be closely related to a radical change in parenting behaviours surrounding the alcohol use of their children. While national prevention programs may have encouraged stricter parenting behaviours, the decline in alcohol use should be interpreted in a broader context of internationally changing sociocultural norms regarding adolescent alcohol use

Trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands, 1992-2015. Differences across sociodemographic groups and links with strict parental rule-setting.

BACKGROUND: From an international perspective, studying trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands is an important case study. Whereas Dutch adolescents topped the international rankings of alcohol consumption in the beginning of this century, they are nowadays found more toward the bottom of these rankings. This study examines time trends in adolescent alcohol use between 1992 and 2015, and tests whether these trends differ according to gender, age group, and educational track. Moreover, it examines to what extent the strictness of parental rule-setting can explain the identified trends. METHODS: Using data from ten waves of two nationally representative studies with a repeated cross-sectional design, trends were examined for eight different alcohol measures. Interaction analyses were conducted to test for subgroup differences. All analyses were controlled for educational track, family structure, and ethnicity. For the period 2007-2015, trends in parental alcohol-specific rule-setting were included as a predictor of the trends in adolescent alcohol use. RESULTS: Adolescent alcohol use increased substantially between 1992 and 2003, and decreased sharply thereafter. Trends were stronger for 12- to 15-year olds, compared to the 16-year olds, and for adolescents attending higher educational tracks, compared to adolescents attending lower educational tracks. Overall, gender differences remained constant over time. Between 2007 and 2015, strict parental alcohol-specific rule-setting increased substantially, and this (partly) explained the strong decline in adolescent alcohol use during this period. CONCLUSION: This study shows clear time trend changes in alcohol use among Dutch adolescents. The phenomenal decrease in adolescent alcohol use since 2003 appears to be closely related to a radical change in parenting behaviours surrounding the alcohol use of their children. While national prevention programs may have encouraged stricter parenting behaviours, the decline in alcohol use should be interpreted in a broader context of internationally changing sociocultural norms regarding adolescent alcohol use

Parental alcohol-specific rules effectively reduce adolescents’ tobacco and cannabis: use A longitudinal study

Aims The current study aimed to longitudinally examine the direct and indirect effects (via alcohol use) of parental alcohol-specific rule-setting on adolescent tobacco and cannabis use. Based on the gateway hypothesis, we expected parental alcohol-specific rules to affect adolescent tobacco and cannabis use through adolescent alcohol use. Design and participants A longitudinal design including three waves and 906 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 13.51 years, SD = 0.60) was used to apply zero-inflated Poisson models (ZIP). Measurements Self-report questionnaires measured adolescents’ perceived rules about alcohol at T1, cigarette use at T1 and T3 (frequency of life-time and current smoking), cannabis use at T1/T3 (frequency of yearly and monthly use) and frequency of monthly alcohol use at T1/T2. Findings Stricter alcohol-specific rules at T1 predicted lower incidence and prevalence rates of cigarette (life-time: β = −0.20, p < .00; current: β = −0.21, p = .04) and cannabis use (monthly: β = −0.43, p = .02; yearly: β = −0.28, p = .19) two years later (T3). This direct effect was no longer significant when alcohol use at T1 was controlled for. Moreover, a significant indirect effect of alcohol-specific rules at T1 on tobacco and cannabis use T3 via monthly alcohol use T2 was found. Conclusions The current study demonstrated that strict rules regarding alcohol may not only reduce alcohol but subsequently also other substance use such as tobacco and cannabis. Thus, interventions targeting the prevention of alcohol use, which appears to serve as a gateway, also affects the involvement in other substances

Cross-national evidence for the clustering and psychosocial correlates of adolescent risk behaviours in 27 countries

Contains fulltext : 140443.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Background: According to Jessor's Problem Behaviour Theory (PBT) and Moffitt's theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behaviour, adolescent risk behaviours cluster and can be predicted by various psychosocial factors including parent, peer and school attachment. This study tested the potential influence of the sociocultural, or macro-level, environment on the clustering and correlates of adolescent risk behaviour across 27 European and North American countries. Methods: Analyses were based on data from the 2009-10 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Participants compromised 56 090 adolescents (M-age = 15.5 years) who self-reported on substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) and early sexual activity as well as on psychosocial factors (parent, peer and school attachment). Results: Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses (with country as grouping variable) showed that substance use and early sexual activity loaded on a single underlying factor across countries. In addition, multiple group path analyses (with country as grouping variable) showed that associations between this factor and parent, peer and school attachment were identical across countries. Conclusion: Cross-national consistencies exist in the clustering and psychosocial correlates of substance use and early sexual activity across western countries. While Jessor's PBT stresses the problematic aspects of adolescent risk behaviours, Moffitt emphasizes their normative character. Although the problematic nature of risk behaviours overall receives more attention in the literature, it is important to consider both perspectives to fully understand why they cluster and correlate with psychosocial factors. This is essential for the development and implementation of prevention programmes aimed at reducing adolescent risk behaviours across Europe and North America.7 p