Adults' views of young people's drinking in Italy: An explorative qualitative research

Aims: This study aims to investigate the views of adults towards youth drinking, and what they think about alcohol-related parenting styles, as these attitudes are among the factors most affecting adolescents' alcohol use and misuse. Methods: Ten focus groups involving 30 parents and 32 teachers were organized in two towns located in Northern (Torino) and Southern (Cosenza) Italy. The Reception Analytical Group Interview (RAGI) method was used, employing video-clips as stimuli. Findings: Gaps in adult's understanding of youth drinking were found, the most important being the overestimation of young people's appreciation of drunkenness and the underestimation of young people's pharmaceutical use of alcohol. Parents viewed the family as the main influence on youth drinking and alcohol-related problems, but had doubts about what alcohol-specific parental practices are best. Conclusion: General reflection is needed about the public discourse surrounding youth drinking and its influences on the views of adults. In addition, more evidence is needed about the effectiveness of alcohol-specific parenting practices, so that parents can be better informed.