“Just Make Sure You Can Get up to Parent the Next Day”: Understanding the Contexts, Risks and Rewards of Alcohol Consumption Among Parents

Background & Purpose:  Emerging research indicates that the environmental and social context of alcohol consumption among parents is related to problem behaviors like child maltreatment.  However, the majority of this research is quantitative, and little is known about parents’ perceptions of risks and rewards associated with drinking in particular contexts.  A richer understanding of the ways in which parents balance social relationships, drinking, and parenting could help identify touchpoints for prevention against alcohol related problems, particularly for populations not involved with the child welfare system.    To fill these gaps in knowledge, this study examined two questions: 1. How do parents negotiate social relationships, alcohol consumption and parenting in different drinking contexts? 2.  What are the perceived risks and rewards of alcohol consumption for parents?

Methods:   Sixty in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children aged 10 or younger living in four mid-sized cities in California, selected via purposive sampling.  Participants responded to study advertisements online, in local newsletters, or posted in public spaces such as libraries and community centers.  The sample was balanced on gender (50% Female; 50% Male) and racially/ethnically diverse (38% White; 13% African American; 23% Asian Pacific Islander; 18% Latino; and 7% Multi-racial or other), with incomes ranging from less than $10,000 a year (10% of sample) to $100,000 or more (27% of sample).   Approximately 50% of the sample was married and employed full-time.  Participants were asked to describe the environmental and social contexts of recent drinking episodes, and to identify perceived risks and rewards of alcohol consumption.  Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically coded in Atlas.ti software, using a grounded theory analytic approach.  The credibility of findings was established through member-checking and team-based analysis. 

Findings: Parents negotiate decisions to drink based on the environmental and social context and presence or absence of their children.  Many parents viewed drinking at family get-togethers or parties as protective of children, since the presence of multiple adults and children provide buffers in situations where parents become intoxicated.  However, few parents described formal systems of ensuring children’s safety at such events.  Parents noted that other drinking contexts, particularly drinking alone, were less protective for children and transmitted potentially negative messages.  Drunk driving, being unable to protect children during an emergency, and continuing family cycles of addiction were described as clear risks of drinking, while rewards included relaxation from parenting or other stressors, enhanced sociability, and “fitting in” at contexts where most adults are drinking.    

Conclusion and Implications:  Social drinking contexts with family and friends are viewed as offering opportunities for parents to increase consumption while keeping children safe, due to the presence of other adults and children.  Interventions designed to establish formalized supervision for children in these contexts could reduce harms associated with adult drinking and better ensure child safety.  Social workers should examine how social pressures and contexts influence alcohol consumption among parents in order to identify potential avenues for intervention.