Trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands, 1992-2015: Differences across sociodemographic groups and links with strict parental rule-setting.

Background: From an international perspective, studying trends in adolescent alcohol use in the Netherlands is an important case study. Whereas Dutch adolescents topped the international rankings of alcohol consumption in the beginning of this century, they are nowadays found more toward the bottom of these rankings. This study examines time trends in adolescent alcohol use between 1992 and 2015, and tests whether these trends differ according to gender, age group, and educational track.

Trends in alcohol-specific parenting practices and adolescent alcohol use between 2007 and 2011 in the Netherlands.

Background: Following increased research and policy attention on the harmful effects of alcohol use among adolescents and the implementation of prevention programs aimed at reducing adolescent alcohol use, this study examined whether alcohol-specific parenting practices have become stricter and whether adolescent alcohol use has declined between 2007 and 2011 in the Netherlands.

Methods: Data were derived from three nationally representative cross-sectional studies of 12 to 16-year old adolescents - the Dutch National School Survey on Substance Use (2007 and 2011) and the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (2009). These data were obtained using self-report questionnaires in the classroom (adolescents, Mage=13.

Explaining educational differences in adolescent substance use and early sexual debut: the role of parents and peers.

Previous studies from a wide variety of European countries have demonstrated that low educated adolescents engage more frequently in health risk behaviors compared to high educated adolescents. The present study investigates the mediating roles of parental knowledge and time spent with peers in this relationship. Data were retrieved from a nationally representative sample of 12- to 16-year old Dutch adolescents (N=5422).

Body mass index and body weight perception as risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problem behavior among adolescents.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), body weight perception (BWP), and indicators of internalizing and externalizing distress and social, attention and thought problems in a large representative sample of Dutch youth.

Methods: A total of 1826 pupils in the eighth grade of primary education and 5730 students in the first four years of secondary education gave their height and weight to obtain an estimate of their BMI. They reported their evaluation of their body weight and completed Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (YSR) (1991), which assesses eight types of problem behavior.