Alcohol Use and Parental Socialization of Emotion in a Population-Based Sample

Objective. Although parental alcohol use has previously been studied in conjunction with various facets of parenting, it has scarcely been examined in relation to parents' emotion socialization behaviors (ESBs), especially in the context of low levels of alcohol use. Our aim was to examine the association between parental alcohol use and parental ESBs, also examining the potential moderating effect of parent sex, parent depression and anxiety, and parental stress on this association. Design. The study was part of the larger research project "Parenting Practices in Norway." The sample consisted of 4260 parents (2425 mothers) of children aged 4-12 years. Parental alcohol use and parental ESBs were measured through parental self-reports on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test and the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES). Results. Higher parental alcohol use was associated with decreased supportive ESBs and elevated non-supportive ESBs. After dividing participants into groups based on alcohol use (no risk/abstainers; low risk; high risk), only the high-risk group reported significantly lower supportive ESBs compared to the no risk group. The negative association between alcohol use and supportive ESBs became less pronounced as parental stress levels increased. Parent sex or depression and anxiety did not moderate any of the associations. Conclusions. Although these findings are based on alcohol consumption and frequency of consumption, they are nevertheless relevant for selecting the proper intervention or treatment plan for parenting as a means of improving child welfare and mental health and for prioritizing parents toward such interventions or treatment plans based on their specific risks.