Necessary, But Not Sufficient: The Importance of Family and School for Youth at Risk of Heavy Episodic Drinking

Adolescent heavy episodic drinking is of significant concern to social workers. This secondary analysis uses the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to explore the relationship of family and school factors to adolescent heavy episodic drinking. The sample included 17,727 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. The findings indicate that family and school factors are protective on the bivariate level. Yet, the hypotheses were only partially supported on the multivariate level, demonstrating that risk is cumulative. The data suggest that social work interventions must be sustained, implemented within multiple environments, and begun prior to adolescence.