Onset of adolescent drinking: a longitudinal study of intrapersonal and interpersonal antecedents.

This study investigated several models for exploring the interrelationships of domains of personality, peer, and family factors and their effect on initiation into alcohol use. Three hundred eighteen black and white high school students were administered questionnaires when they were in the ninth and tenth grades (T1) and again two years later when the students were in the eleventh and twelfth grades (T2). Only those students who had never used alcohol at T1 were included in this study. The results supported an independent model: Each of the domains of T1 personality, peer, and family factors, with control on the other domains, had a direct effect on T2 initiation into alcohol use. The interactions of peer variables with personality and family variables were examined. The findings indicated that risk factors stemming from the peer group were ameliorated by protective personality and family factors.