Marijuana in the Basement: Examining the Effect of Social Class-Conditioned Parenting on Adolescent Substance Use

• In Event: Data and Methodological Innovations in Substance Use Research

Abstract

This paper is an examination of how substance use in adolescence and young adulthood is shaped by parenting practices, where concerted cultivation (Lareau 2003) increases entitlement among more advantaged youth, which subsequently affects their risk of substance use. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) are used to examine the following research questions: 1) Does concerted cultivation relate to lower or higher rates of substance use among adolescents, 2) Does concerted cultivation relate to greater entitlement in children, 3) Is the effect of concerted cultivation on substance use class-specific, and 4) Does entitlement interact with parenting to predict substance use? Findings reveal that youth from more advantaged backgrounds report less substance use than their less advantaged counterparts. Parenting practice is a significant driver of this pattern, which fits with previous research arguing that concerted cultivation relates to parents’ social class background. Further, the findings indicate that a sense of entitlement affects substance use independently of parenting practice. Overall, the findings are suggestive of class distinctions in adolescent substance use and implicate parenting as a mechanism.

Author

• Rachel Wolsey, Bowling Green State University