Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

Printer-Friendly Version

This finding looks at the relationship between family structure and teen substance use.

Adolescents who lived in intact families during early adolescence (ages 12 to 14) were less likely to initiate alcohol use during late adolescence (ages 15 to 18) compared to peers in stepparent families. Similarly, adolescents who lived in intact families during early adolescence (ages 12 to 14) were less likely to initiate marijuana use during late adolescence (ages 15 to 18) compared to peers in stepparent families as well as those in single-parent families. This was true taking into account teens’ age, race/ethnicity, gender, and their parents’ education level.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from a longitudinal survey of adolescent substance use, conducted in the mid 1980s in Southeastern U.S. Respondents were between the ages of 12 and 14 during the baseline survey. The baseline survey conducted in 1985 consisted of some 2,062 youths. The first follow-up survey, conducted in 1987, consisted of some 1,637 youths.

Source
"Family structure as a predictor of initial substance use and sexual intercourse in early adolescence."
Flewelling, R. L.
Bauman, K. E.
Journal of Marriage and Family Vol. 52, Number 1. , 1990. Page(s) 171-181.

FindingID: 8971