Another putative mediator of the association between divorce/separation and alcohol use is family conflict (Kristjansson, Sigfusdottir, Allegrante, & Helgason 2009), although it is unclear if the conflict precedes marital dissolution or is a result of the divorce (Kelly, 2000) and in some cases, children may be better off after a parental divorce that reduces conflict (Amato & Keith, 1991). Stress from the family disruption and conflict may also be a factor (Barrett & Turner, 2006), as youth may drink to cope with distress, although this may be less likely for lower levels of drinking (e.g., Low et al., 2012). Other potential mechanisms include downward mobility and a change in household resources, although this notion has not been consistently supported (Dube et al., 2002). The present study is unable to test these mechanistic theories, but we hope it stimulates future work to better understand these processes.
