Authoritarian Mothers Linked to Increased Teen Alcohol Use

*The following is excerpted from an online article from the Yale Daily News.

Having an authoritarian mother may increase the likelihood that an individual develops alcohol-related problems, according to a new study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Researchers from Yale, Arizona State University and the University of Washington found that higher levels of maternal authoritarianism correlated with higher levels of self-concealment — the act of hiding information that might be negatively perceived by others. Self-concealment was in turn linked to impaired control over ingestion of alcoholic substances.

“There’s a degree of congruence between parenting styles and self-concealment,” said Robert Leeman, Yale psychiatry professor and one of the study’s authors.

According to Leeman, self-concealment is tied to negative emotional response, which in turn tends to lead to higher incidences of drinking problems. Accordingly, the study observed higher rates of alcohol abuse in participants with higher self-reported rates of self-concealment.

“Authoritarian parents really [cut] off communication with the child, so issues with self-expression [arise],” leading to further problems later in life, Leeman theorized.

Source: Yale Daily News
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/10/14/parenting-style-linked-to-alcohol-use/