The use and abuse of alcohol among college students has become a major problem. As such, research examining developmental precursors to alcohol use is of utmost importance in order to facilitate change by way of intervention and prevention strategies. The present study examines a developmental pathway to alcohol use that incorporates two key concepts in development: parenting practices and attachment representations. Given that research has elucidated the need to examine such developmental precursors, it is essential that we begin testing possible pathways to alcohol abuse. Research has shown that parenting and attachment alone predict alcohol use. However, there has been no research to date including both constructs in testing a competing mediational and moderational model of alcohol use. Undergraduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University will be asked to participate in a study examining relationship functioning and behavior. Statistically reliable and valid measures of parenting and attachment will be administered. Alcohol use will be measured by obtaining the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed. Structural Equation Modeling will be used to test the developmental model that parenting practices will lead to attachment representations, which in turn will lead to alcohol use and abuse.
