Variation in Early Childhood Cigarette and Alcohol Use by Gender and Parental Substance Use

• In Event: The Importance of Parenting Across Multiple Dimensions of the Life Course

Abstract

The links between parent and offspring substance use are well established, but less is known about the way gender influences the intergenerational transmission of substance use behavior. Specifically, it is still inconclusive whether maternal or paternal substance use has a stronger influence on child use outcomes. Further, it is unclear whether particular gender combinations of parent-child relationships have different effects on the likelihood of children’s substance use. Using longitudinal, intergenerational data from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study, we will examine how gender shapes the links between parent and offspring alcohol and cigarette use. Looking at both the gender of the parent and the gender of the child allows us to examine the differential effect of mothers and fathers substance use for boys and girls. In addition, by analyzing parental use of multiple substances (alcohol and tobacco) we can look for both substance-specific and substance-nonspecific effects on children’s use. This study will expand on previous research by utilizing a large, longitudinal data set, and by comparing natural mothers and fathers to other potential caretakers, including grandparents and stepparents. Understanding the gendered dynamics of intergenerational substance use is essential for developing tailored public health efforts that can reduce substance use among children.

Authors

• Karley Abramson, Pennsylvania State University

• Jeremy Staff, Pennsylvania State University