The Influence of Parents' Alcohol Expectancies and Behaviors on their Young Adult Children's Alcohol Expectancies and Behaviors in the Orthodox Jewish Community

Yonatan Mandelbaum, Pace University

Abstract

Since alcohol is an integral part of many Jewish religious customs and practices, unhealthy alcohol use may be easily overlooked or difficult to identify as Orthodox Jewish community members work to develop and transmit an appropriate, balanced, and controlled approach to moderate alcohol use, a value of the historical Judaism, from one a generation to another. Although previous research has examined the impact of parental alcohol expectancies, parental alcohol behaviors, and parent-child relationship quality on their children's alcohol use, there is a dearth of research on this topic as it relates to the Orthodox Jewish community. In this study, the influence of parental alcohol expectancies (both positive and negative) and behaviors on their young adult children's alcohol expectancies and behaviors in the Orthodox Jewish community are examined, in addition to the variables of religiosity and parent-child relationship quality. Using SEM, results indicated significant positive effects of parental negative alcohol expectancies on young adult negative alcohol expectancies, and parental positive alcohol expectancies on young adult positive alcohol expectancies suggesting the important role parents play the development of their children's relationship with alcohol. Religiosity was found to have a significant negative effect on both young adult positive expectancies and young adult alcohol behaviors. Parental negative alcohol expectancies and young adult alcohol positive and negative expectancies also had significant effects on young adult alcohol behaviors. A significant positive indirect effect that was identified included the impact of parental positive alcohol expectancies on young adult alcohol behaviors by way of young adult positive alcohol expectancies. Implications for school and clinical psychology are discussed.

Subject Area

Religion|Mental health

Recommended Citation

Mandelbaum, Yonatan, "The Influence of Parents' Alcohol Expectancies and Behaviors on their Young Adult Children's Alcohol Expectancies and Behaviors in the Orthodox Jewish Community" (2017). ETD Collection for Pace University. AAI10609629.
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/dissertations/AAI10609629

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