Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1995-96), the proposed study will investigate and compare how the peer context of African American and White youth influence adolescent drinking behavior, while considering moderator effects of family and school attachments and behavior toward alcohol use Primary socialization theory is the framework that will guide the research. This framework suggests that the peer context is primary in the transmission of prosocial and deviant norms for the adolescent, but that this relationship can be moderated by the family and school contexts. Prior studies show differences between African American and White youth in alcohol consumption and social attachments (peers, family, and school); therefore, differences are expected to emerge when comprehensively examining and comparing the impact of peer, family, and school attachments and behaviors on African American and White youth's alcohol consumption. Findings of the study will be used to inform prevention and intervention programs that address the alcohol use of African Americans.
