Alcohol use in the context of sibling relationships : modeling, relationship quality, and outcome expectancies

Access restricted to the OSU CommunityWhile siblings represent an important part of the family, there are relatively few studies examining siblings' impact on alcohol use behaviors in comparison to parent and peer influences. This study investigated the influence of perception of older sibling alcohol use on younger sibling alcohol use outcomes. The sample included 171 college students (mean age = 21.67 years) and was 71.9 percent female. The ethnic representation of the sample was 75.4 percent European American, 10.5 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 5.3 percent multiracial, 4.7 percent Hispanic, 3.6 percent Black/African American, and .6 percent Native American. Perception of older sibling alcohol use was a significant predictor of younger sibling alcohol use outcomes even when accounting for perception of parent alcohol use (β = .23, p = .009). This study sought to further unpack this relationship by examining the roles of alcohol outcome expectancies and sibling relationship quality (warmth and conflict) in a moderated mediated model. Results indicated partial support for the moderated mediated model, such that older siblings' alcohol use with a warm sibling relationship paired with high alcohol outcome expectancies was associated with increased alcohol use outcomes in the younger siblings. This finding was especially robust in a male sample (n = 48). Sibling conflict was nonsignificant as a moderator in the full moderated-mediated model. Additionally, older sibling alcohol use was a significant predictor in same-sex siblings (β = .34, p = .002), but not for opposite-sex siblings (β = .05, p = .645). Older sibling alcohol use was a significant predictor for siblings close in age (β = .28, p = .007), but not for those more than three years apart in age (β = .15, p = .259). These findings provide support for Bandura's (1977) finding that modeling is most likely to occur in warm and similar others. Clinical implications include identifying older siblings as an important contributor to alcohol use outcomes and a caution against a warm sibling relationship as always being protective. Future research should examine the impact of including older siblings in clinical interventions