Models for student drinking and smoking: Parents or peers?

The drinking and smoking patterns of 259 college and university students were surveyed by means of a self-report questionnaire. This questionnaire also required the respondent to give information concerning the drinking and smoking habits of his/her parents and friends. Analysis of partial correlations indicated that the respondents’ level of drinking corresponded to the behavior of their parents for the first 2 years on campus, and then shifted to that of their friends. By contrast, smoking behavior did not show this chronological trend. Both drinking and smoking showed evidence of negative modeling among male participants with a dominant father.