This study examined 25 boys and 35 girls in an elementary school and found illicit alcohol use occurred in 1 out of 5. Moreover, the frequency of weekly alcohol consumption among both the students' families and friends, as observed by the student, reliably predicted alcohol consumption rates by male students but not females. The obtained pattern of results is discussed in terms of an observational learning model of youths' drinking behavior, and implications of the findings are given.
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