Abstract

        This study provides detailed information on the incidence of drinking among the main parent of children aged 6 to 11, on heavy drinking by the spouse of the main parent, and on analyses of the effect of drinking on several teen high-risk behaviours, civic and family repercussions, and the teen's sense of well-being and future prospects.

        Some 81% of children had parents who drank alcohol, about the same percentage of girls and boys. Ontario had a greater share of Canada's children with abstaining parents, and Quebec had a smaller share of children with abstaining parents.

        Worship was negatively related to abstinence: 22% of the children worshipped weekly with their main parent, but 36% if the parent abstained, and 19% if the parent drank alcohol.

        Of special interest to parents are the effects of having drinking parents on teen behaviours, civic involvements, well-being, and health of their families. For example, 21% of the children of abstainers turned out to be teens who were intoxicated at least monthly, compared with 28% of the teens who had parents who drank when they were younger.

        Stronger relationships appear for children classified according to whether or not their main parent's spouse, usually the father, drank heavily or not in the preceding year. In general, avoidance of heavy drinking has an impact on the children who as teens tend to have positive behavioural qualities such as avoidance of smoking, drinking, intoxication, using LSD/acid, smoking marijuana, and having sexual intercourse.

        They also have positive civic engagements such as enjoying helping others, and shun delinquent community involvements, such as selling drugs, damaging things belonging to others. They tend to be happy with life, rarely get angry easily, have not known anyone who has committed suicide, and are hopeful concerning the next five years.

        Teen behaviours and home situations, 40 in all, are assumed to be related to several childhood characteristics including whether or not the main parent drank alcohol in the previous year in 1995. After controlling for several factors, parental drinking is found to adversely influence several behaviours of both teen girls and boys: frequency of drinking and intoxication, smoking marijuana, sexual intercourse, and being interviewed by the police.

        Some results are statistically significant for girls only: rarely gets upset easily (opposite to expectation), feels close to father (opposite to expectation), and parents married in 2003 (opposite to expectation). Others apply to boys only: smoking, non-marijuana drug use, LSD/acid use, frequency of selling drugs, damaged or destroyed things, number known who have committed suicide, and feels distant from father.

        These results reveal the effects of the parent's drinking are mostly negative on the teen, especially boys. Control factors are child age and worship frequency during the preceding year, the main parent's age, sex, marital status, evangelical (biblical) faith and educational attainment, and the family's region of residence, all measured in 1995. Having an evangelical faith, and worship frequency deters several high-risk behaviours of teens.

        The limitations of statistical results are noted and practical implications of our results are proposed for Christians and those who wish to follow a Christian approach to raising children.