Relations among parental substance use, violence exposure and mental health: the national survey of adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relations among parental substance use, violence exposure and psychopathology in a nationally representative sample of adolescents.


METHODS
Random digit dialing methodology was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of 4023 adolescents, ages 12-17. Telephone surveys, conducted in 1995, assessed demographics, parental substance use, violence exposure, and three psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder (MDE), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse/dependence (SA/D).


RESULTS
Obtained prevalence rates included: 8.2% for sexual assault, 22.5% for physical assault, and 39.7% for witnessing violence at home or in the community. Substance use by a family member was reported by 18.4% (n=721) of adolescents, with 50.6% reporting parental alcohol use and 19.1% (n=138) reporting parental drug use. Consistent with hypotheses, violence exposure and parental substance use, particularly parental alcohol abuse, were independently associated with outcomes. Additionally, parental substance use emerged as a moderator for MDE, PTSD, and SA/D; however, the moderating relations varied according to the outcome variable investigated.


CONCLUSIONS
Violence-exposed adolescents reporting parental alcohol or drug use had the highest rates of psychiatric diagnoses.
Hanson
Rochelle F
RF
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, USA. hansonrf@musc.edu <hansonrf@musc.edu>
Self-Brown
Shannon
S
Fricker-Elhai
Adrienne
A
Kilpatrick
Dean G
DG
Saunders
Benjamin E
BE
Resnick
Heidi
H
D000293:Adolescent; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012742:Sex Offenses; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*