Using Mixed Methods to Examine Parental Influence on Youth Alcohol Use
Carol A. BryantRobert J. McDermottLauren B. ZapataMelinda ForthoferKelli McCormack BrownRebecca S. CheneyDanice K. EatonSusan A. CalkinsDavid L. Hogeboom
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Abstract This study identified youth and adult perceptions of factors that influence initiation of youth drinking, access to alcohol, strategies for deterring youth drinking, and parents' role in prevention. A combination of qualitative (focus group and individual interview) and quantitative (written survey) community-based participatory research methods was used. Results showed that parents and other adults influence youth decisions about alcohol use both positively and negatively. Parental strategies identified by both youths and adults as important for the prevention of youth alcohol use includes communication, modeling positive behavior, monitoring youths, and controlling youths' access to alcohol. Communication was considered the most effective strategy, especially if parents do not lecture or nag their children. Both parents and students viewed monitoring as important but in need of improvement. Most youths and adults believed it is easy for minors to obtain alcohol, usually from their own or friends' parents. However, few parents had talked with other parents about youth drinking. Youths' perceptions of alcohol use norms were assimilated from adults, but many parents reported difficulty in modeling positive drinking behavior. Parent education and support are needed to encourage parents to confront the extent of youth drinking and to improve their own prevention skills.Keywords:
Parental monitoring
Alcohol education
Abstract This study identified youth and adult perceptions of factors that influence initiation of youth drinking, access to alcohol, strategies for deterring youth drinking, and parents' role in prevention. A combination of qualitative (focus group and individual interview) and quantitative (written survey) community-based participatory research methods was used. Results showed that parents and other adults influence youth decisions about alcohol use both positively and negatively. Parental strategies identified by both youths and adults as important for the prevention of youth alcohol use includes communication, modeling positive behavior, monitoring youths, and controlling youths' access to alcohol. Communication was considered the most effective strategy, especially if parents do not lecture or nag their children. Both parents and students viewed monitoring as important but in need of improvement. Most youths and adults believed it is easy for minors to obtain alcohol, usually from their own or friends' parents. However, few parents had talked with other parents about youth drinking. Youths' perceptions of alcohol use norms were assimilated from adults, but many parents reported difficulty in modeling positive drinking behavior. Parent education and support are needed to encourage parents to confront the extent of youth drinking and to improve their own prevention skills.
Parental monitoring
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This paper examines the use of a qualitative research method, the focus group technique, as an option for obtaining perceptual data. Potential HOPE 3 program participants were engaged in a focus group setting to determine the feasibility of this major housing initiative for homeownership. The basics of qualitative research in general, the results obtainable from the use of qualitative research, the process involved in utilizing the focus group technique, and the methodology and results of an actual session using the focus group technique are presented. The information collected is presented expressly to illustrate the focus group technique, which allows possible controversial topics to be discussed in an open and positive manner. The scenario also provides confidentiality for the sponsoring agencies, organizations, and participating households. The focus group technique proved to be an excellent technique for assessing attitudes, preferences, and housing needs in a community that traditionally has had poor participant response to requests for public input. The focus group session presented opportunities to increase the understanding of programmatic conflicts, gain feedback from first-time users of new initiatives, further outreach efforts, and assess potential conflicts that might arise in the implementation process of the HOPE 3 program.
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The focus group interview, an increasingly popular method in qualitative research, is used to obtain information that is highly accurate and relevant through a dynamic group interactive technique. Focus groups are used to gather ideas, opinions, perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs based on participants experiences in a defined area of interest. Focus groups can be used during the preliminary or exploratory stage of a study; during the course of a study (e.g., to develop or evaluate a particular / interesting program of activities); or after a program has been completed (e.g., to assess impact or generate further avenues of research). Focus group interviews can be used either as a method in their own right or as a complement to other methods, especially to check triangulation and validity. While our study concluded that focus group interviews are an "easy and cost efficient" method to collect quality data, validity and relationship issues between focus group data and other data must be determined and considered in the results. This article introduces the background, definitions, focus group process, participants, interview guidelines, moderator responsibilities, and data collection and analysis related to the focus group methodology.
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The authors examined the relationships among gender, alcohol consumption, and parental monitoring, including television monitoring. Student volunteers (N = 150; 90% Caucasian, 79% women) participated by reporting retrospective general parental monitoring, television monitoring, and recent drinking behaviors. On the basis of the retrospective reports by the participants, when they were growing up the men received less overall parental monitoring but not less television monitoring than the women. Women's drinking quantity was correlated with parental monitoring, whereas men's drinking frequency was associated with both parental monitoring and television monitoring. Interestingly, men's binge drinking frequency was correlated with television monitoring but not with overall parental monitoring, whereas women's binge drinking frequency was correlated with overall parental monitoring but not with television monitoring. Implications for preventing alcohol misuse and ideas for future research are discussed.
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A straightforward way of thinking about perception is in terms of perceptual representation. Perception is the construction of perceptual representations that represent the world correctly or incorrectly. This way of thinking about perception has been questioned recently by those who deny that there are perceptual representations. This article examines some reasons for and against the concept of perceptual representation and explores some potential ways of resolving this debate. Then it analyzes what perceptual representations may be: if they attribute properties to entities, what are these attributed properties, and what are the entities they are attributed to.
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Focus groups are becoming increasingly popular in research, especially in parent and child research. Focus group interviews allow participants to tell their own stories, express their opinions, and even draw pictures without having to adhere to a strict sequence of questions. This method is very suitable for collecting data from children, youths, and parents. However, focus group interviews must be carefully planned and conducted. The literature on focus group interviews with adult participants is extensive, but there are no current summaries of the most important issues to consider when conducting focus group interviews with children, youths, or parents. This article outlines the use of focus groups in child, youth, and parent research and the important factors to be considered when planning, conducting, and analyzing focus groups with children, youths, or parents.
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Focus groups are an invaluable tool in the armor of any researcher in alcohol and drug education. Focus groups owe their popularity to the field of marketing (Kreuger & Casey, 2000). The marketing researchers primarily use this method for testing the negative and positive perceptions of target audiences about various new commodities or potential ideas. In educational settings, focus groups offer numerous applications. In alcohol and drug education, focus groups have been used in a variety of ways. The most common use of focus groups is in conducting needs assessment for educational interventions. For example, Peterson and colleagues (2002) conducted a needs assessment study using focus groups among American Indian and Alaskan Native women to document their life experiences and perceived recovery needs from alcohol and other drug use. Another needs assessment study by Baldwin and colleagues (1999) used focus groups to determine the HIV/AIDS prevention needs of Native American out-of-treatment drug users. Focus groups are used for rapid needs assessment particularly in international settings. For example, a study by Chatterjee and colleagues (1996) conducted a rapid needs assessment of the drug abuse situation in Nepal by using focus groups along with semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Theory-based focus groups for needs assessment have also been used. For example, a study by Hahn and colleagues (1996) used Health Belief Model driven focus groups to identify strategies that promote parent involvement with young children in an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) prevention programs. Another common aspect of needs assessment pertains to identification of barriers or obstacles during program implementation. For example, a Finnish study used focus groups to identify possible obstacles in carrying out competent early identification and brief intervention of heavy drinkers in primary health care (Aalto, Pekuri, & Seppa, 2003). Another application of focus groups is in developing conceptual frameworks or guidelines. For example, a study by Shoultz and colleagues (2000) used focus groups to develop culturally appropriate guidelines to prevent alcohol and drug abuse. An additional application of focus groups is in conducting comparative or correlation studies. For example, a study by Delk and Meilman (1996) compared alcohol use among Scottish college students with American college students. One more application of focus groups is in developing instruments. For example, Meyers and colleagues (1995) developed the Comprehensive Addiction Severity Index for Adolescents (CASI-A), which is a 45- to 90-minute comprehensive, semi-structured clinical interview for evaluating adolescents who present for treatment at various provider agencies. The instrument's modules and their individual items were selected and revised based on focus group discussions. Oftentimes focus groups are used for triangulation of findings obtained from other research methods. For example, a study by Bass & Kane-Williams (1993) was made to determine the extent of impact of alcohol and other drugs on inner city African American children by combining focus groups with in-depth reviews of the literature, personal communications, conference proceedings, grant and contract reports, monographs, newspaper and magazine articles, and national survey results. Sometimes focus groups are used as a tool for an intervention. When used for intervention, in the participatory paradigm the skills for conducting focus groups are transferred to the participants in order to empower them. In the conventional research paradigm, as an intervention, focus groups are used to change attitudes of the participants. …
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Focus group interviews have been used extensively in health services program planning, health education, and curriculum planning. However, with the exception of a few reports describing the use of focus groups for a basic science course evaluation and a clerkship's impact on medical students, the potential of focus groups as a tool for curriculum evaluation has not been explored. Focus groups are a valid stand-alone evaluation process, but they are most often used in combination with other quantitative and qualitative methods. Focus groups rely heavily on group interaction, combining elements of individual interviews and participant observation. This article compares the focus group interview with both quantitative and qualitative methods; discusses when to use focus group interviews; outlines a protocol for conducting focus groups, including a comparison of various styles of qualitative data analysis; and offers a case study, in which focus groups evaluated the effectiveness of a pilot preclinical curriculum.
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ABSTRACT Two common methods of collecting qualitative data are the in-depth interview and the focus group. This study compared the two interview methods on four criteria: (1) number of unique factors generated, (2) time requirements, (3) relative cost, and (4) ease of data collection. Both interview methods discussed the topic “What factors influence your food choices.” Participants were 18 to 24 year old Anglo and Hispanic college women. Eight focus groups and twenty-eight in-depth interviews were completed. Focus groups required approximately half the time, cost half as much and yielded more factors. Focus groups were more difficult to schedule but easier to conduct. KEYWORDS: Focus GroupsInterviewsFood PreferencesHispanics
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