Parents' Divorce, Disengagement Raises Kids Risk Of Binge Drinking
LatestA new study shows that parents divorce may increase children’s risk of binge drinking. But parenting styles may matter even more.
According to the Telegraph, a study of British children by the Demos thinktank reveals that kids whose parents divorce before they turn five are more likely to drink later in life. However, it’s not just whether your parents are together that matters. Demos also studied the effects of different parenting styles, and found that sixteen-year-olds whose parents are “disengaged” — meaning they’re “uninvolved with their children, and do not structure their activities or set standards for their behaviour” — are eight times as likely to binge-drink as teenagers, and twice as likely to continue doing so in their thirties. The best way for parents to prevent binge drinking, meanwhile, was a “tough love” approach, which Demos defines thus: