( Health.com ) -- Parents who are concerned about drinking and other risky behavior often try to steer their teenage children away from friends and dating partners whom they consider `` bad influences . '' Those parents may want to look one step further : A new study suggests that teenagers with a new boyfriend or girlfriend tend to be more influenced by the drinking habits of their romantic partner 's friends than they are by the partners themselves . Why ? Dating introduces adolescents to new and different social networks and also creates a kind of indirect peer pressure , says lead researcher Derek Kreager , Ph.D. , an associate professor of crime , law , and justice at Pennsylvania State University , in University Park . Health.com : Top 10 myths about safe sex and sexual health . A teen 's longtime friends tend to be like-minded when it comes to values and lifestyle , but romantic partners are more likely to come from a different circle . `` Think of your son or daughter 's new significant other as a bridge to a whole other group that he or she is now going to be exposed to , '' Kreager says . When teenagers begin dating , they tend to meet in the middle when it comes to habits like drinking . If a teen girl who has yet to experiment with alcohol starts dating a boy who drinks often , for instance , the boy is likely to cut back while the girl is likely to give drinking a try . `` He has an incentive to change , to be more like her , '' Kreager explains . `` On the other hand , his friends do n't really have any reason to change , so they continue drinking . Meanwhile , she has incentive to be like those friends , because that 's what appeals to her partner . '' Health.com : Sneaky ways to just say no to alcohol . It 's no surprise that social networks have a strong influence on personal health . Several studies from a research team based at Harvard University and the University of California , San Diego . have documented how family and friends can `` spread '' obesity , drinking , smoking , and even happiness . These social patterns may be even more important among teenagers , says Angela Diaz , M.D. , program and research director of the adolescent health center at the Mount Sinai Medical Center , in New York . `` It 's during adolescence that kids start exploring adult behavior and adult roles , and looking for acceptance and respect , '' she says . `` And throughout high school , a child 's peer groups will change dramatically based on the new behaviors they pick up and the new people they encounter . '' Health.com : Family , friends are big influence on drinking . In the study , which was published in the American Sociological Review , Kreager and his colleagues analyzed questionnaires from 898 students that were collected as part of a larger national survey on adolescent health . When the students were in seventh through twelfth grade , researchers interviewed the kids about drinking and binge drinking ( among other health-related behaviors ) , and also asked them to name several of their close friends at school , many of whom were also study participants . In a follow-up interview two years later , the same students answered similar questions and were also asked to name special romantic partners from the past 18 months . By identifying pairs of students who became a couple and comparing their survey responses , the researchers were able to see how the teens ' social networks and drinking habits changed over time . Health.com : Binge drinking may harm learning , memory . They found that younger teenagers tend to socialize with friends of the same gender , and that being involved in romantic relationships often introduces them to mixed-gender peer groups . And while friends and significant others both influenced the future drinking habits of the study participants , it was the second-degree friends of partners that had the strongest influence on drinking frequency and binge drinking . The findings may not be news to parents , Kreager says . But they do emphasize the need to learn more about the group of people their children 's romantic partners -- and therefore their children -- may be spending time with . Parents should talk with their children about peer pressure and alcohol abuse even before they begin dating , says Diaz , so that as teenagers they can recognize potential hazards in new social situations . They should also make an effort to get to know a new romantic partner in their teen 's life , as well as that partner 's friends . Health.com : 8 reasons to make time for family dinner . `` Invite them to your home , just as you would with your own son 's or daughter 's friends '' she says . `` Create an environment where they are comfortable and where you can learn their values . '' It 's also important to remember that dating is not necessarily a bad thing , Kreager says . Adolescents can also be swayed in a positive direction by peer groups who drink less than they do -- especially boys , who , according to the study , were more likely to binge drink , and who may be more susceptible to a significant other 's influences . Copyright Health Magazine 2011 .
Study says teens will be influenced more by new partner 's friends ' habits . Comment: Results emphasize need to learn more about people your teen hangs out with .