Parental permissiveness may influence binge drinking among college students

College students who binge drink may be acting on influences they brought from home, a new Washington State University-led study suggests.

A recent survey shows that students who binge drink more than other students tend to have grown up in a home with more permissive attitudes toward drinking. Those students are also more likely to join Greek-affiliated organizations like fraternities or sororities.

In a study published in the journal Behavioral Sciences, researchers surveyed parents and students about drinking attitudes and behaviors, especially binge drinking. They found that parents of students who joined fraternities or sororities were more permissive of alcohol use prior to students leaving home for college.

"Previous research has shown that greater parental permissiveness, or approval, of student drinking is linked to greater alcohol use among college students," said Kristi Morrison, lead author on the paper and a PhD student in WSU's prevention science program. "We explored the relationship between parental approval and student Greek affiliation and found that parents of students who join Greek organizations tend to be more permissive of binge drinking even before their students come to college."

Students who join fraternities or sororities are at a higher risk of binge drinking and the negative consequences, such alcohol poisoning, blacking out, and more, that can follow, Morrison said.

"Understanding risk factors, like parental permissiveness, gives us targets for interventions that can reduce risky behavior," she said.

Morrison and her co-authors asked parents, both before their students left for college and during their first year of college, how wrong they felt it would be if their student engaged in "heavy episodic drinking," defined as four or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion for women and five or more for men. The researchers also asked students about their perception of their parents' permissiveness.

"The initial transition to college is a very high-risk time," said Jennifer Duckworth, paper co-author and assistant professor in WSU's Department of Human Development. "Studies like this can help universities identify areas where interventions can be developed and implemented to reduce binge drinking."

Morrison and Duckworth suggest that parenting programs that encourage parents to set clear guidelines, especially before students leave home, support their children's decision-making, and talk about the risks of binge drinking could positively impact students. They pointed to the Letting Go and Staying Connected program, which originated at WSU and has spread to nine other universities across Washington, as an important tool for educating parents.

"Risk factors look different across groups," Duckworth said. "Parental permissiveness is one risk factor that can be changed relatively easily. It's important to help parents think about what it means to be less permissive toward alcohol use. When parents talk with their children about the risks of binge drinking and set clear expectations, it can have a real impact. Even after students leave home, parents continue to play a powerful role in shaping how young adults approach drinking."

Even well-intentioned efforts to promote "safe" drinking can sometimes send the wrong message, signaling that binge drinking is acceptable.

"Parents may think having their teens drink at home in a protected environment is safer, but it conveys an approval of alcohol use," said Morrison, who plans to earn her doctorate in two years. "Research shows that when parents are less approving of alcohol use, students tend to drink less."

Additional co-authors on the paper include Brittany Cooper and Laura Hill from WSU, Matthew Bumpus from the Innovia Foundation, and Martie Skinner and Kevin Haggerty from the University of Washington.