Influence of social models on alcohol use among adolescents

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the consumption of alcohol among adolescents and that of their close model figures. The sample was made up of 536 secondary students from rural areas. Predictive models of alcohol consumption were established by means of logistic regression analysis and the criterion used was the consumption by parents, siblings, and the adolescent's best friend. It was observed that alcohol use of these models conditioned the adolescents' consumption; their attitude towards the drug, their intention to consume, their normative perception and perception of risk. The analysis revealed that the main predictor of alcohol use is the consumption by the best friend (OR = 13.04, IC 95% = 8.14-20.91), followed by the consumption by siblings (OR = 1.85, IC 95% = 1.12-3.04). The intention of consumption increases when the father is an alcohol user (OR = 2.70, IC 95% = 1.68-4.36), sibling (OR = 2.83, IC 95% = 1.56-5.15), and mainly best friend (OR = 4.33, IC 95% = 2.55-7.36).