Does the influence of peers and parents on adolescents' drunkenness differ between Roma and non-Roma adolescents in Slovakia?

BACKGROUND Roma adolescents have been shown to use less alcohol than non-Roma adolescents. This could be due to the protective influences of peers and parents. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the levels of peer and parental influence and their effects on drunkenness between Roma and non-Roma adolescents. DESIGN Data were obtained in Eastern Slovakia from 330 Roma (mean age=14.50; 48.5% boys) and 722 non-Roma (mean age=14.86; 53.2% boys) primary school pupils. We analysed data on adolescent drunkenness (being drunk at least once in the past four weeks), parental monitoring (parents knowing with whom their children are when they go out) and peer influence (best friend drinking alcohol at least once a week) using logistic regression. RESULTS Roma adolescents self-reported more parental monitoring and less peer influence when compared with their non-Roma counterparts (p<0.001). Less parental monitoring contributed to the probability of drunkenness only among girls (OR/CI: 4.17/2.00-8.69). This effect of parental monitoring was not modified by ethnicity. Peer influence affected drunkenness in both boys (OR/CI: 3.34/1.91-5.85) and girls (4.84/2.55-9.19), but there was no significant interaction of ethnicity with peer influence. CONCLUSION While both boys and girls seem to be sensitive to peer influence, only girls appear to be sensitive to parental monitoring in regard to drunkenness. Stronger parental monitoring and weaker peer influence partially explain the lower prevalence of drunkenness among Roma adolescents, whereas the effects of these factors per level do not vary between Roma and non-Roma adolescents.