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COMPLETED

Communication about alcohol in families:
Research and the development of materials

Background

There is an increasing awareness of the role that parents and carers can have in supporting sensible alcohol use, and reducing alcohol abuse, amongst young people. However, relatively little research has considered how communication and supervision in relation to alcohol actually takes place within the family. Past research undertaken by TSA into monitoring and supervision in families identified that many parents found it hard to supervise alcohol consumption. Additional research carried out into young people's risky drinking also identified that most young people would value more discussion with parents and carers about alcohol. However, there are very few materials available to support this. In 2005 TSA received a grant from the Alcohol Education and Research Council which enabled us to undertake research into these important areas. This research led to a final report, and an evidence-based 'newsletter' which aimed to support parents/carers and practitioners working with the parents/carers of young people, in communicating about alcohol within the family. This work has been disseminated widely amongst parents, practitioners working with the parents of young people, academics, and policy-makers to ultimately facilitate a reduction in alcohol related harm.

The Project

The project had two main aims:

1. To explore the strategies that parents use to communicate and supervise sensible drinking within the family.

2. To use the research findings to develop an evidence-based newsletter to support communication about alcohol and the supervision of sensible drinking within the family.

We interviewed 40 parents of young people aged between 13 to 17 years old. The sample included mothers and fathers, a range of family structures and circumstances, and parents from different social backgrounds.

Findings

The findings revealed a wide-ranging number of strategies and tactics that parents used in communicating, monitoring, and supervising alcohol use within the family. Many parents expressed the desire for greater information about many different issues associated with young people and alcohol use including hints and tips for communicating and supervising about alcohol, more information about the legal and health implications of alcohol use, and possible practical strategies to help deal with difficult situations or incidences. The final report is now available to download from the TSA website and the newsletter for parents is available from TSA's publications department.

Timetable and staffing

The project took place over one year from the beginning of April 2005. Louise Cox and Dr Nigel Sherriff were the research officers working on the project. Dr Lester Coleman and Dr Debi Roker were the project managers.