H. van der Vorst

Puberty-dependent sleep regulation and alcohol use in early-adolescents

BACKGROUND Research has shown a bi-directional relation between alcohol use and sleep regulation in adults. Much less is known about this association in early adolescents, while profound puberty-dependent transitions regarding sleep patterns take place in early adolescence. Moreover, puberty has been associated with an increase in alcohol use of adolescents. METHODS In this study, we investigated the associations between pubertal development, sleep preference, sleep problems, and alcohol use in 431 early adolescents (mean age: 13.66). Second, it was studied whether the associations changed when controlling for adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. Furthermore, we included gender as a moderator on all the associations. RESULTS Results showed that pubertal development was positively associated with sleep problems and more evening-type tendencies (e.g., favoring later bedtimes), which in turn were positively related to alcohol use. Underlying psychopathology, gender and educational level did not change these relationships. CONCLUSIONS From this study, it can be concluded that both puberty and sleep regulation are important factors in explaining alcohol use in early adolescence.

Partner Effects and Bidirectional Parent-Child Effects in Family Alcohol Use

Introduction: The current study investigated partner effects and bidirectional parent-child effects in family alcohol use. Methods: A full family, longitudinal design was used to test the hypotheses. Participants were 428 families, including mothers, fathers, and 2 children. Associations were measured over two waves with a 2-year interval, by means of structural equation modeling. Results: Whereas alcohol use of the younger children was affected by alcohol use of both parents, alcohol use of the older children was only affected by alcohol use of mother. Moreover, although the effects were small, alcohol use of older children affected later alcohol use of both parents. Conclusions: Associations between alcohol use of parents and children seem to be bidirectional. Future studies are needed to find out whether these findings are incidental or structural. If the effects are structural, potential underlying reciprocal processes within the family play a role in the development of adolescent alcohol use.

Children's responses towards alcohol in virtual reality: associations between parental alcohol use, drinking selections and intentions to drink

Abstract To prevent harmful drinking, it is essential to understand factors that promote alcohol use at an early age. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of parental alcohol use in children’s selection of alcoholic beverages in a virtual reality (VR) environment and their intentions to drink in the future. Participants were 7–13-year-old children (N = 127) who filled out questionnaires and participated in a VR computer game paradigm in which they were asked to select food and beverages for their parents and themselves. Children’s selection of alcoholic beverages and their intentions to drink alcohol in the future were measured. Children who reported heavier parental drinking selected more alcoholic beverages for their parents and displayed greater intentions to drink alcohol. Children’s responses in virtual reality explained incremental variance in children’s intentions to drink. Implications and limitations are discussed.