Parents function as role models socializing their children into specific patterns of behaviour. Higher parental alcohol consumption was related to higher adolescent consumption because children adopt the drinking behaviour of their parents.
Furthermore, stress-related depression following divorce may lead to higher parental alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
Children may then increase their alcohol consumption as a coping strategy. Hence, these role models may be important in explaining the association between divorce and substance use among children.
By including parental exemplary behaviour in our analysis, we want to obtain a better understanding of the complex interplay between parental characteristics and
behaviour, family structure and adolescents’ outcomes. Again, differential outcomes for sons and daughters can be expected.