title: The moderating effects of peer substance use on the family structure-adolescent substance use association: quantity versus quality of parenting.
abstract: This study examines the association between family structure and adolescent substance use, specifically focusing on the potential conditioning effects of the level of exposure to substance-using peers. Using data from a statewide study of Florida students, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use was regressed on measures of family structure, exposure to deviant peers, family process variables (including supervision, attachment, and discipline), and an array of salient predictors of adolescent substance use. Logistic regression analyses revealed that the level of exposure to substance-using peers moderates the relationship between family structure and substance use for three of the four dependent variables. The core finding is that living with two natural parents serves as a protective factor against using tobacco, alcohol, or other illicit drugs, but only under conditions when exposure to deviant peers is lowest. Under conditions when exposure to deviant peers is highest, teens residing in a traditional two-parent family are most likely to report substance use. However, some evidence suggests that this latter finding may be due to differences in the duration of exposure to deviant peers. These findings reinforce the need to continue to explore how the quantity of parenting may provide additional protection against adolescent substance use beyond quality of parenting factors.
authors.affiliation: School of Policy and Management, Florida International University, 369 PCA, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA. eitled@fiu.edu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eitle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D020954:Single-Parent Family; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors