Parent Drug Use and Bonding to Parents as Predictors of Substance Use in Children of Substance Abusers

• NCJ Number: 171036
• Journal: Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (1997) Pages: 75-86
• Author(s): C B Fleming; D D Brewer; R R Gainey; K P Haggerty; R F Catalano
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 5 R01 DA05824-02
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

This article examines the interactive relationship between parent drug use, bonding to parents, and child substance use in a longitudinal study of families headed by substance abusers in methadone treatment for opiate addiction.

Abstract

The social development model hypothesizes that strong bonds to prosocial others and institutions contribute to prosocial behavior, while strong bonds to antisocial others and institutions contribute to antisocial behavior. This study showed that bonding to parents and child substance use were moderately negatively correlated in children whose parents ceased using drugs but were weakly positively correlated in children whose parents continued using drugs. These results support the social development model and suggest that family interventions for preventing substance use in children of substance abusers should focus on reducing parent drug use and promote bonding to parents who are abstinent. Other elements of prevention programs with these families (such as attempts to improve family communication skills and teach parents how to help their children succeed in school) may be implemented before parents become abstinent. Tables, references