Parenting behaviors and the onset of smoking and alcohol use: a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
To identify which specific parenting behaviors are associated with the onset of alcohol and tobacco use and how they are associated.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study of two groups of preadolescents surveyed annually, the first group for 4 years, the second for 3 years.


METHODS
Two public school districts in Southern California.


METHODS
1034 fifth graders and 1266 seventh graders began the study after obtaining parental consent to complete surveys in a classroom setting. By the last measurement, attrition was 37 and 38% for the two cohorts, respectively.


METHODS
The onset of tobacco or alcohol use in the last month.


RESULTS
Children who reported that parents spent more time with them and communicated with them more frequently had lower onset rates of using alcohol and tobacco in the last month. These parental interactions lead to more positive relationships with their children. Parental monitoring and positive relations were protective factors for disruptive behavior and the selection of substance-using friends. Disruptive behavior increased the odds of adolescents drinking in the last month approximately twofold and of smoking in the last month two to fourfold.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides further evidence that parenting behaviors are significant precursors to adolescent disruptive behavior, vulnerability to peer pressure, and subsequent substance use. Parents should be targeted in future substance use prevention programs, before their children reach adolescence.
Cohen
D A
DA
Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans 70112.
Richardson
J
J
LaBree
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors