Trajectories or Parental Monitoring and Communication and Effects on Drug Use Among Urban Young Adolescents
Received 1 July 2009; accepted 4 December 2009. published online 11 February 2010.
Abstract
Purpose
Identify the number and characteristics of heterogeneous trajectories of parental monitoring and communication among a sample of urban, racial/ethnic minority youth and examine the effects of these patterns on alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use.
Methods
The study sample (n=2,621) was predominantly African American or Hispanic (38% and 32%, respectively) and low-income (67% received free, or reduced price, lunch). They completed classroom-based surveys when in 6th-8th grades. Multilevel general growth mixture modeling was used to identify the heterogeneous trajectories of parental monitoring and communication and estimate the effects of these distinct patterns on drug use in 8th grade.
Results
Four trajectories of parental monitoring and communication were identified: (1) High (76.4%), (2) Medium (9.1%), (3) Decreasing (6.0%) and (4) Inconsistent (8.5%). Relative to those with high monitoring/communication, youth in the decreasing and inconsistent trajectories were at significantly greater risk for past year and past month alcohol and marijuana use and having ever smoked a cigarette. After controlling for family composition, only youth in the decreasing trajectory were significantly more likely to report substance use in 8th grade.
Conclusions
Findings support the role of parents in preventing drug use during early adolescence and suggest that efforts to improve the level and consistency of parental monitoring and communication may be a fruitful target for prevention. Many youth initiate use of alcohol, tobacco or marijuana in this critical developmental period and considered with the health and social consequences of use, engaging parents in preventing drug use should remain a priority for prevention.
Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Address correspondence to: Amy L. Tobler, M.P.H., Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, College of Medicine, University of Florida, 1329 SW 16th Street, Rm 5130, Box 100177, Gainesville, FL 32610-0177.
ABSTRACT