Factors Associated with College Students’ Honesty and Dishonesty in Response to Hypothetical Alcohol-Related Text Messages from Parents

Risky alcohol consumption among college students is a persistent issue, contributing to a range of negative consequences. Previous studies suggest that parents can influence their college-age children's drinking behavior, and that alcohol-specific communication is an important mechanism through which this influence occurs. However, the extent to which college students are honest with their parents during these interactions remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore factors hypothesized to predict college students' honesty or dishonesty in response to hypothetical text message inquiries about alcohol use and partying from their parents. To assess this, 256 undergraduate students participated in a cross-sectional survey study where they reported their anticipated honesty or dishonesty in response to these hypothetical messages. The survey also measured several hypothesized predictors of honesty or dishonesty, including perceived parental control, discipline, permissiveness, parent-child relationship quality, and the students' own alcohol use. Results from regression models assessing all predictors' effects on the level of honesty revealed that higher perceived parental permissiveness toward alcohol use and greater parental control were associated with greater odds of being classified as more honest in response to the hypothetical text messages. In contrast, higher levels of perceived parental discipline, and poorer parent-child relationship quality were associated with greater odds of being classified as less honest. These findings offer preliminary evidence to support further examination of the relationship between parenting and college student honesty related to alcohol use in the context of one of the most used mediums for parent-child communication: texting.