Parental Social Support as a Moderating Factor in the Intergenerational Transmission of Drug Use

• In Event: Exploring Substance Use with the Rochester Youth Development Study: Session I

Abstract

Social developmental theories of drug use have identified several environmental risk factors to drug use, including family, peer, neighborhood, and individual level characteristics. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding protective factors of drug use. Moreover, there is a dearth of research that has examined what protects one generation from using drugs given the risk incurred by the use patterns of the previous generation. Social support theory is one of the few theoretical perspectives that specifically incorporates the protective role of parents in the face of their child’s risk of problematic behavior. The current study examines whether parental social support to plays a role in protecting children from problematic behaviors given that their parents used drugs. Specifically, the moderating effects of parental social support are explored to determine if it can break the cycle of intergenerational transmission of drug use. Policy implications and limitations are discussed.

Authors

• Erin Castro, University of Florida

• Marvin Krohn, University of Florida

• Beidi Dong, University of Pennsylvania