Drinking Patterns and Problems among Female Children and Adolescents: A Comparison of Abstainers,Past Users,and Current Users

The sociopsychological factors that underlie drinking behavior among 197 young girls, ages 9 through 17, are explored. Three groups-youthful abstainers, former users, and current users-were interviewed, as were their parents. These comparison groups are contrasted on 110 variables. The relative merits of four competing explanations of youthful drinking behavior-deprivation, personal deficiency, hedonistic peer culture, and family pathology-are assessed.