Study examined associations between adolescent information management (disclosure & secrecy), parenting behaviors (solicitation & rules), and adolescent alcohol use within a sample of teens who reported previous consumption of alcohol. Adolescent secrecy about alcohol behaviors was associated with alcohol consumption for boys, not girls. Adolescents who consume alcohol have poorer academic performance and are at increased risk of alcoholism later in life ( Comasco et al., 2010). Parents’ knowledge of their teens’ activities can protect against teen problem behavior ( Fletcher et al., 2004). Parents rely on teens’ disclosure to obtain knowledge of their behaviors. Teens’ secrecy has been associated with decreased amounts of parental knowledge ( Kerr & Stattin, 2000). Less research has examined adolescent secrecy and disclosure of problem or risk behavior within a sample so of teens who have engaged in the risk behavior (Metzger et al., 2012). Age and gender may moderate the association between disclosure/secrecy and risk behaviors ( Frijns et al., 2010). Boys keep more secrets; girls disclose more Older teens keep more secrets and disclose less Measures - Adolescent Report Alcohol Consumption (4- items;  =.88) Assessed amount of alcohol consumed by adolescents in the past 3 months on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 4 = often). Sample Item: In the last 3 months, how often have you drank alcohol? Parent Solicitation (3- items;  =.85) Assessed the frequency of parents’ asking about their teens’ alcohol-related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often does your parent talk to you or ask about: if you drink too much alcohol or get drunk? Family Rules (3- items;  =.84) Assessed the firmness of family rules about alcohol on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = none, 5 = firm). Sample Item: If I try drinking alcohol with friends? Disclosure (3- items;  =.89) Assessed adolescent disclosure to parents about alcohol-related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often do you tell your parents about the following activities (without them asking): if you try drinking with friends? Secrecy (3- items;  =.86) Assessed secrets adolescents kept from parents about alcohol - related behavior on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = never, 5 = always). Sample Item: How often do you keep the following activities secret form parents: if you drink too much alcohol or get drunk? Frijns, T., Keijsers, L., Branje, S., & Meeus, W. (2010). What parents don’t know and how it may affect their children: Qualifying the disclosure-adjustment link. Journal of Adolescence, 33, Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36(3), Comasco, E., Berglund, K., Oreland, L., & Nilsson, K. W. (2010). Why Do Adolescents Drink? Motivational Patterns Related to Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(10), Fletcher, A. C., Steinberg, L., & Williams-Wheeler, M. (2004). Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior: Revisiting Stattin and Kerr. Child Development, 75(3), Alcohol Consumption R 2* F Change Beta Step ** Age.38** Gender.19 Step Parent Solicitation.36* Parent Rules.29* Teen Disclosure -.27 Teen Secrecy.51* Step * Secrecy x Gender -.55* Table 1. Regression table for predictors of alcohol consumption. Note: R 2 = adjusted R; Beta’s are from the final step of the regression; * p <.05; ** p <.01 Participants 57 adolescents who reported consuming alcohol at least once in the last year. M age = % Female, 80.7% White Secrecy about alcohol behaviors is associated with increased alcohol consumption for boys, not girls. Both parenting behaviors and teen information management (secrecy for boys) were associated with teen alcohol consumption. Parents’ monitoring strategies about alcohol use were ineffective for protecting against teen alcohol consumption: Parents may be reacting to the knowledge of their teens engagement in alcohol behaviors by setting more rules and asking more questions. Adolescents who have a lot of rules and are more frequently questioned may feel over-controlled and engage in more alcohol use. Adolescent Secrecy: Similar to prior findings, boys who actively hide their alcohol-related activities from parents, consume more alcohol. Girls may be using different information management strategies, such as partial disclosure. Future research should investigate different secrecy techniques an adolescent may utilize with regard to alcohol use. Partial disclosure, telling a lie, changing the subject Parents’ rules and solicitation were positively associated with greater alcohol consumption For further information contact: Amanda Hanrahan at Elizabeth Yale at or Aaron Metzger at Associations Between Adolescents’ Alcohol-Related Secrecy and Disclosure with Alcohol Consumption Amanda Hanrahan, Elizabeth Yale, M. A., Aaron Metzger, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Virginia University Life-Span Development Abstract Method Results Discussion Results Method Background References