Parental divorce and adolescent cigarette smoking and alcohol use: assessing the importance of family conflict.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate how family conflict contributes to the relationship between parental divorce and adolescent cigarette smoking and alcohol use.


METHODS
Population-based cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
School classrooms in Iceland in which an anonymous questionnaire was administered to respondents by supervising teachers. Participants were 7430 (81.4%) of 9124 14- to 16-year-old adolescents.


METHODS
Cigarette smoking and alcohol use during the last 30 days were assessed by self-report.


RESULTS
Parental divorce was related to adolescent cigarette smoking during the last 30 days (OR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.84-2.44) when controlling for gender only, but was insignificant (OR = 1.18 95%, CI 0.99-1.44) when controlling for relationship with parents, disruptive social changes and family conflict. There was a significant relationship between parental divorce and adolescent alcohol use during last 30 days (OR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.48-1.87), controlling only for gender; however, the relationship disappeared (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.91-1.20) when controlling for other variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Family conflicts are important contributors to the relationship between parental divorce and adolescent cigarette smoking and alcohol use. Conflict between parents and adolescents, but not inter-parental conflict, appears to be the most important factor in the relationship between family conflict and adolescent substance use.
Kristjansson
Alfgeir Logi
AL
Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis, School of Health and Education, Reykjavik University, Iceland. alfgeir@ru.is
Sigfusdottir
Inga Dora
ID
Allegrante
John P
JP
Helgason
Asgeir R
AR
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004243:Divorce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*