A much larger literature has addressed peer exposure effects for alcohol quantity or frequency. Drinking is deviant only in relation to age but it is an attractive adult-like activity for many adolescents (Jessor & Jessor, 1977); it is associated with socializing and being accepted (Veenstra, Huitsing, Dijkstra, & Lindenberg, 2010), and perhaps for this reason, is typical among high-status youth (Allen, Chango, Szwedo, Schad, & Marston, 2012). This dynamic motivates both selection and influence effects in teen drinking. Three recent studies of adolescent drinking (Burk et al., 2012; Knecht, Burk, Weesie, & Steglich, 2011; Mercken, Steglich, Knibbe, & de Vries, 2012) provide a particularly relevant empirical context for our work. Each addressed alcohol use among early adolescent youth, employed a multiwave longitudinal design with complete-network friendship (all pairwise relationships) and behavioral data, and applied SABM. Results showed some similarities but important differences as well.
