Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-14T04:07:10.208Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Substance use and related behaviors among suburban late adolescents: The importance of perceived parent containment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2008

Suniya S. Luthar*
Affiliation:
Teachers College, Columbia University
Adam S. Goldstein
Affiliation:
Teachers College, Columbia University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Suniya S. Luthar, Teachers College, Columbia University, Box 133, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027; E-mail: luthar@exchange.tc.columbia.edu.

Abstract

This study builds upon prior findings of elevated substance use among suburban high school students, examining the ramifications of different parenting dimensions on substance use and related behaviors. The sample consisted of 258 11th graders in an affluent suburban community. Parenting predictors considered included those well-studied previously such as monitoring and closeness, as well as two newer dimensions: perceived containment (stringency of anticipated reactions in reaction to negative behaviors) and perceived commitment (e.g., helping the child despite other commitments). Outcomes included self-reported substance use, delinquency, and rule breaking, as well as teacher-rated inattentiveness and school grades. Findings showed elevated substance use among these 17-year-olds compared with national norms, especially among girls. Of the parent predictors, significant unique links with multiple outcomes were found for parents' knowledge of their children's activities and perceived parental containment (stringent repercussions) in reaction to the children's substance use. Notably, students reported that their parents were much more tolerant of their substance use than of other problem behaviors such as rudeness to adults and minor acts of delinquency. Results are discussed along with the implications for practice and research.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Preparation of the manuscript was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01-DA14385) and the William T. Grant Foundation. We thank Pamela J. Brown at Yale and members of our research laboratory at Teachers College for their suggestions in developing the containment and commitment measures.

References

Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.Google Scholar
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 16, 427454.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Associated Press. (2003). Teen Drinking Shocker. CBS News. Retrieved November 1, 2005, from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/04/eveningnews/main535289.shtmlGoogle Scholar
Bates, B. C., & Dozier, M. (2002). The importance of maternal state of mind regarding attachment and infant age at placement to foster mothers' representations of their foster infants. Infant Mental Health Journal, 23, 417431.Google Scholar
Beyers, J. M., Loeber, R., Wikstrom, P.-O. H., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2001). What predicts adolescent violence in better-off neighborhoods? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 369381.Google Scholar
Campbell, S. B., Shaw, D. S., & Gilliom, M. (2000). Early externalizing behavior problems: Toddlers and preschoolers at risk for later maladjustment. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 467488.Google Scholar
Capaldi, D. M., & Patterson, G. R. (1989). Psychometric properties of fourteen latent constructs from the Oregon Youth Study. New York: Springer–Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chambers, R. A., Taylor, J. R., & Potenza, M. N. (2003). Developmental neurocircuitry of motivation in adolescence: A critical period of addiction vulnerability. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 10411052.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christopher, A. N., Westerhof, D. L., & Marek, P. (2005). Affluence cues and perceptions of helping. North American Journal of Psychology, 7, 229238.Google Scholar
Cicchetti, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (2000). The past as prologue to the future: The times, they've been a-changin'. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 255264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Crouter, A. C., Bumpus, M. F., Davis, K. D., & McHale, S. M. (2005). How do parents learn about adolescents' experiences? Implications for parental knowledge and adolescent risky behavior. Child Development, 76, 869882.Google Scholar
Davies, P. T., & Lindsay, L. L. (2001). Does gender moderate the effects of marital conflict on children? In Grych, J. H. & Fincham, F. D. (Eds.), Interparental conflict and child development (pp. 6497). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
De Ross, R., Marrinan, S., Schattner, S., & Gullone, E. (1999). The relationship between perceived family environment and psychological wellbeing: Mother, father, and adolescent reports. Australian Psychologist, 34, 5863.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dishion, T. J., French, D. C., & Patterson, G. R. (1995). The development and ecology of antisocial behavior. In Cicchetti, D. & Cohen, D. J. (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 2. Risk, disorder, and adaptation (pp. 421472). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Dishion, T. J., & McMahon, R. J. (1998). Parental monitoring and the prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior: A conceptual and empirical formulation. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1, 6175.Google Scholar
Dozier, M., Lindhiem, O., & Ackerman, J. (2005). Attachment and biobehavioral catch-up: An intervention targeting specific needs of young foster children. In Berlin, L., Amaya-Jackson, L., Greenberg, M., & Zaiv, Y. (Eds.), Enhancing early attachments: Theory, research, intervention, and policy (p. 357). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Elliot, D. S., Dunford, F. W., & Huizinga, D. (1987). The identification and prediction of career offenders utilizing self-reported and official data. In Burchard, J. B. S. (Ed.), Prevention of delinquent behavior (pp. 90121). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Evans, D. L., Foa, E. B., Gur, R. E., Hendin, H., O'Brien, C. P., Seligman, M. E. P., et al. (2005). Treating and preventing adolescent mental health disorders. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, J. (2002). Study links teen drinking, pressure. Associated Press Online. Retrieved November 13, 2005, from http://www.google.comGoogle Scholar
Fletcher, A. C., Steinberg, L., & Williams-Wheeler, M. (2004). Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior. Child Development, 75, 781796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Furnham, A., Reeves, E., & Budhani, S. (2002). Parents think their sons are brighter than their daughters: Sex differences in parental self-examinations and estimations of their children's multiple intelligences. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 163, 2450.Google Scholar
Gaylord, N. K., Kitzmann, K. M., & Coleman, J. K. (2003). Parents' and children's perceptions of parental behavior: Associations with children's psychosocial adjustment in the classroom. Parenting: Science and Practice, 3, 2347.Google Scholar
Grych, J. H., Raynor, S. R., & Fosco, G. M. (2004). Family processes that shape the impact of interparental conflict on adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 649665.Google Scholar
Huizinga, D., & Elliot, D. S. (1986). Reassessing the reliability and validity of self-report delinquency measures. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2, 293327.Google Scholar
Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G. (1984). Drugs and American high school students: 1975–1983 (Vol. 85). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2004). Overall teen drug use continues gradual decline; but use of inhalants rises. Retrieved October 31, 2005, from http://www.monitoringthefuture.orgGoogle Scholar
Judd, C. M., & McClelland, G. H. (2001). Data analysis: A model comparison approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.Google Scholar
Kerig, P. K. (1995). Triangles in the family circle: Effects of family structure on marriage, parenting, and child adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 9, 2843.Google Scholar
Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36, 366380.Google Scholar
Kindlon, D. (2001). Too much of a good thing: Raising children of character in an indulgent age. New York: Miramax.Google Scholar
Kowaleski-Jones, L., & Duncan, G. J. (1999). The structure of achievement and behavior across middle childhood. Child Development, 70, 930943.Google Scholar
LeCompte, M. D., & Preissle, J. (1993). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research (2nd ed.). San Diego: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Levine, M. (2006). The price of privilege: America's new at-risk child. New York: Harper Collins Press.Google Scholar
Lindahl, K. M., Malik, N. M., Kaczynski, K., & Simons, S. J. (2004). Couple power dynamics, systemic family functioning, and child adjustment: A test of a mediational model in a multiethnic sample. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 609630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Locke, L. M., & Prinz, R. J. (2002). Measurement of parental discipline and nurturance. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 895930.Google Scholar
Loeber, R., Wung, P., Keenan, K., Giroux, B., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., Van Kammen, W. B., et al. (1993). Developmental pathways in disruptive child behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 101132.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S. (1999). Poverty and children's adjustment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S. (Ed.). (2003). Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthar, S. S. (2006). Resilience in development: A synthesis of research across five decades. In Cicchetti, D. & Cohen, D. J. (Eds.), Developmental Psychopathology: Risk, disorder, and adaptation (2nd ed., pp. 739795). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & Ansary, N. S. (2005). Dimensions of adolescent rebellion: Risks for academic failure among high- and low-income youth. Development and Psychopathology, 17, 231250.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & Becker, B. E. (2002). Privileged but pressured? A study of affluent youth. Child Development, 73, 15931610.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & D'Avanzo, K. (1999). Contextual factors in substance use: A study of suburban and inner-city adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 11, 845867.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & Latendresse, S. J. (2005a). Children of the affluent: Challenges to well-being. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 4953.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & Latendresse, S. J. (2005b). Comparable “risks” at the socioeconomic status extremes: Preadolescents' perceptions of parenting. Development and Psychopathology, 17, 207230.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., & Sexton, C. C. (2004). The high price of affluence. In Kail, R. V. (Ed.), Advances in child development (Vol. 32, pp. 126162). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Luthar, S. S., Shoum, K. A., & Brown, P. J. (2006). Extracurricular involvement among affluent youth: A scapegoat for “ubiquitous achievement pressures?” Developmental Psychology, 42, 583597.Google Scholar
Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Rutter, M., & Silva, P. (2002). Sex differences in antisocial behaviour: Conduct disorder, delinquency and violence in the Dunedin longitudinal study: Book review. European Journal of Psychiatry, 16.Google Scholar
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. (2002). CASA report on underage drinking. Retrieved November 20, 2006, from http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.aspx?articleid =271&zoneid=47Google Scholar
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2006). Make a difference: Talk to your child about alcohol. Retrieved November 27, 2006, from http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/en/pubs/html/makeadifference.htmGoogle Scholar
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2006a). Marijuana: Facts parents need to know. Retrieved November 27, 2006, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/MarijBroch/Marijparentstxt.html#PreventGoogle Scholar
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2006b). Preventing drug abuse among children and adolescents: Risk factors and protective factors. Retrieved November 27, 2006, from http://www.nida.nih.gov/prevention/risk.htmlGoogle Scholar
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2006). Media campaign fact sheets. Tips for parents: How to raise healthy, drug-free girls. Retrieved November 27, 2006, from http://www.mediacampaign.org/newsroom/press06/020906_fs.htmlGoogle Scholar
Posner, J. K., & Vandell, D. L. (1999). After-school activities and the development of low-income urban children: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 35, 868879.Google Scholar
Richters, J. E., & Cicchetti, D. (1993). Mark Twain meets DSM-III-R: Conduct disorder, development, and the concept of harmful dysfunction. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ritter, J. (2005, August 8). Teen drinking gets pass from parents. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 1, 2005, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050808/ai_n16878632Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (2000). Psychosocial influences: Critiques, findings, and research needs. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 375405.Google Scholar
Sameroff, A. J. (2000). Developmental systems and psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 297312.Google Scholar
Sameroff, A., Peck, S. C., & Eccles, J. S. (2004). Changing ecological determinants of conduct problems from early adolescence to early adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 873896.Google Scholar
Schneider, W. J., Cavell, T. A., & Hughes, J. N. (2003). A sense of containment: Potential moderator of the relation between parenting practices and children's externalizing behaviors. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 95117.Google Scholar
Shaw, D. S., Criss, M. M., Schonberg, M. A., & Beck, J. E. (2004). The development of family hierarchies and their relation to children's conduct problems. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 483500.Google Scholar
Smith, M. (2002, November 17). Are kids from affluent families more likely to drink? Mobile Register, A1.Google Scholar
Smith, C. A., & Stern, S. B. (1997). Delinquency and antisocial behavior: A review of family processes and intervention research. Social Service Review, 71, 382420.Google Scholar
Stattin, H., & Kerr, M. (2000). Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Development, 71, 10721085.Google Scholar
Swanson, D. P., Spencer, M. B., Harpalani, V., Dupree, D., Noll, E., Ginzburg, S., et al. (2003). Psychosocial development in racially and ethnically diverse youth: Conceptual and methodological challenges in the 21st century. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 743771.Google Scholar
Tein, J.-Y., Roosa, M. W., & Michaels, M. (1994). Agreement between parent and child reports on parental behaviors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 341355.Google Scholar
Zahn-Waxler, C., Crick, N. R., Shirtcliff, E. A., & Woods, K. E. (2006). The origins and development of psychopathology in females and males. In Cicchetti, D. & Cohen, D. J. (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 1. Theory and method (2nd ed., pp. 76138). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Zahn-Waxler, C., Klimes-Dougan, B., & Slattery, M. (2000). Internalizing problems of childhood and adolescence: Prospects, pitfalls, and progress in understanding the development of anxiety and depression. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 443466.Google Scholar