The relationship between religion and alcohol abuse, the relationship
between alcohol abuse of parents and of children, and the subject of problem
drinking in college are the focal points of an empirical investigation that
explores intergenerational linkages between religiosity and problem drinking
among collegiate youths. The results of
this study indicate that students are at greater risk for problem drinking if
they are: 1) from Gentile religious traditions as compared with Jews (as was
the case with previous generations of students); 2) not strongly attached to a
particular faith; or 3) the child of an alcohol abuser. In addition to presenting “at risk”
categories for students, this study analyzes the intergeneration transmission
of alcohol problems that can occur specifically through the influence of
parental religion. In particular, the
parental religion is related to these “at risk” categories, suggesting that
characteristics of a parent’s faith may have multiple paths of impact upon the
young collegian’s drinking experience.
Parents’ religious traditions and their degrees of religiosity largely
determine the traditions and commitment of their children which, in turn,
influence the student’s drinking.
Parental traditions and degrees of religiosity have also influenced
parents’ own drinking experiences as demonstrated here – with Gentile parents
and those with a weak faith experiencing greater alcohol problems – which, in
turn, have an additional effect upon the collegiate child’s drinking as the
children of alcohol abusers are more likely to become abusers themselves.