Parenting styles and alcohol use among children and adolescents: A systematic review (2014)

Introduction: Research studies have been focusing on the prevalence of alcohol use among children and adolescents since the 1990s. There are many individual, family, and social factors that can influence this kind of risk behaviour. The present review is focused on the influence of parenting styles.
Aims: The main aim is to provide a systematic review of studies published from 1995 until 2012 which investigate the relationship between alcohol use among adolescents and parenting styles.
Methods: A systematic search of literature employing the PRISMA method identified and evaluated 16 original studies published in the EBSCO, MEDLINE/PubMed, JSTOR, and ScienceDirect databases. The studies were classified according to their research design, the age group of the respondents, the participation of parents, the effects of parenting styles, and the sociocultural setting of the study.
Findings: The studies were subjected to quantitative evaluation according to their methodological criteria and forms of parenting styles. Qualitative evaluation showed a broader context and complexity of study results. While there is some evidence of the protective effect of an authoritative parenting style, there are many other individual, social, and environmental factors.
Conclusions: There is evidence of a connection between parenting styles and the forms of alcohol use among children and adolescents. Such conclusions should be reflected in national primary prevention strategies and family-based prevention programmes.