study examined associations between adolescent information management (disclosure & secrecy),...

• Study examined associations between adolescent information management (disclosure & secrecy), parenting behaviors (solicitation & rules), and adolescent alcohol use within a sample of teens who reported previous consumption of alcohol.

• Adolescent secrecy about alcohol behaviors was associated with alcohol consumption for boys, not girls.

• Adolescents who consume alcohol have poorer academic performance and are at increased risk of alcoholism later in life (Comasco et al., 2010).

• Parents’ knowledge of their teens’ activities can protect against teen problem behavior (Fletcher et al., 2004).

• Parents rely on teens’ disclosure to obtain knowledge of their behaviors. Teens’ secrecy has been associated with decreased amounts of parental knowledge (Kerr & Stattin, 2000).

• Less research has examined adolescent secrecy and disclosure of problem or risk behavior within a sample so of teens who have engaged in the risk behavior (Metzger et al., 2012).

• Age and gender may moderate the association between disclosure/secrecy and risk behaviors (Frijns et al., 2010).

• Boys keep more secrets; girls disclose more • Older teens keep more secrets and disclose less

Measures - Adolescent Report Alcohol Consumption (4- items; = .88) Assessed amount of alcohol consumed by adolescents in the past 3 months on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 4 = often). Sample Item: In the last 3 months, how often have you drank alcohol?

Parent Solicitation (3- items; = .85) Assessed the frequency of parents’ asking about their teens’ alcohol-related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often does your parent talk to you or ask about: if you drink too much alcohol or get drunk?Family Rules (3- items; = .84) Assessed the firmness of family rules about alcohol on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = none, 5 = firm). Sample Item: If I try drinking alcohol with friends?

Disclosure (3- items; = .89) Assessed adolescent disclosure to parents about alcohol-related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often do you tell your parents about the following activities (without them asking): if you try drinking with friends?

Secrecy (3- items; = .86) Assessed secrets adolescents kept from parents about alcohol - related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often do you keep the following activities secret form parents: if you drink too much alcohol or get drunk?

Frijns, T., Keijsers, L., Branje, S., & Meeus, W. (2010). What parents don’t know and how it may affect their children: Qualifying the disclosure-adjustment link. Journal of Adolescence, 33, 261-270.

Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36(3), 366-380.

Comasco, E., Berglund, K., Oreland, L., & Nilsson, K. W. (2010). Why Do Adolescents Drink? Motivational Patterns Related to Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(10), 1589-1604.

Fletcher, A. C., Steinberg, L., & Williams-Wheeler, M. (2004). Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior: Revisiting Stattin and Kerr. Child Development, 75(3), 781-796.

Alcohol Consumption R2* F Change Beta

Step 1 .22 9.04**Age .38**Gender .19Step 2 .29 2.19Parent Solicitation .36*Parent Rules .29*Teen Disclosure -.27Teen Secrecy .51*Step 3 .36 6.70 *Secrecy x Gender -.55*

Table 1. Regression table for predictors of alcohol consumption.

Note: R2 = adjusted R; Beta’s are from the final step of the regression; * p < .05; ** p < .01

Participants• 57 adolescents who reported consuming alcohol at least once in the

last year.• Mage = 15.28• 68.4% Female, 80.7% White

• Secrecy about alcohol behaviors is associated with increased alcohol consumption for boys, not girls.

• Both parenting behaviors and teen information management (secrecy for boys) were associated with teen alcohol consumption.

• Parents’ monitoring strategies about alcohol use were ineffective for protecting against teen alcohol consumption:• Parents may be reacting to the knowledge of their teens engagement

in alcohol behaviors by setting more rules and asking more questions.• Adolescents who have a lot of rules and are more frequently

questioned may feel over-controlled and engage in more alcohol use.

• Adolescent Secrecy: • Similar to prior findings, boys who actively hide their alcohol-related activities from parents, consume more alcohol.• Girls may be using different information management strategies, such

as partial disclosure.

• Future research should investigate different secrecy techniques an adolescent may utilize with regard to alcohol use.• Partial disclosure, telling a lie, changing the subject

• Parents’ rules and solicitation were positively associated with greater alcohol consumption

For further information contact: Amanda Hanrahan at aharnaha@mix.wvu.edu,

Elizabeth Yale at eyale@mix.wvu.edu, or Aaron Metzger at Aaron.Metzger@mail.wvu.edu

Associations Between Adolescents’ Alcohol-Related Secrecy and Disclosure with Alcohol Consumption

Amanda Hanrahan, Elizabeth Yale, M. A., Aaron Metzger, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Virginia University Life-Span Development

Abstract Method Results

Discussion

Results

Method

Background

References