Examining Reciprocal Relations Between Parental Knowledge, Child Disclosure, Parental Legitimacy Beliefs, and Adolescent Alcohol Use

• In Event: Substance Use Risk in Adolescence: The Role of Emotion Processes and Family Variables

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Early adolescent alcohol use has been linked to later adverse developmental and health-related outcomes, including substance use disorders (Hall et al., 2016). Parental knowledge of youth’s activities can prevent or delay substance use (Stone et al., 2012) while youth behaviors may concurrently influence parenting (Kerr et al., 2012). More research is needed to examine how youth’s perceptions of the legitimacy of parental authority may influence these family dynamics. This multi-informant study examined prospective bidirectional effects between parental knowledge and child disclosure alongside youth-reported alcohol use and perceived legitimacy of parental authority.
METHOD: A community sample of parent-adolescent dyads (N = 387) completed three annual assessments. Youth (Mage = 11.61 years, SD = 0.55) self-reported past year days of alcohol use and perceived legitimacy of parental authority. Parents (Mage = 42.45 years, SD = 6.25) reported on knowledge and voluntary child disclosure regarding youth whereabouts and activities. A cross-lagged panel model was estimated using repeated measures of adolescent alcohol use, perceived legitimacy of parental authority, parental knowledge, and child disclosure.
RESULTS: Reports of legitimacy of parental authority, parental knowledge, and child disclosure decreased over time as rates of alcohol use increased (see Table 1). From Time 1 to Time 2, greater perceived legitimacy of parental authority predicted less alcohol use (β = -0.119, p < .001) and greater child disclosure (β = 0.131, p = .001). Effects, however, were not sustained or reciprocated at later waves. From Time 1 to Time 2, greater parental knowledge predicted greater child disclosure (β = 0.195, p < .001) and greater child disclosure predicted greater parental knowledge (β = 0.141, p = .002). From Time 2 to Time 3, greater alcohol use predicted lower parental knowledge (β = -0.080, p = .023) and greater parental knowledge predicted lower alcohol use (β = -0.143, p = .023). Youth alcohol use also predicted lower child disclosure (β = -0.044, p = .043; see Figure 1).
DISCUSSION: While prior work has supported parental knowledge and child disclosure as predictors of alcohol use (Kerr et al., 2012), the current findings are novel given that parental knowledge and child disclosure were also found to weaken in response to youth alcohol use. A positive reciprocal association between parental knowledge and child disclosure was found in early adolescence, whereas an inverse reciprocal association was found between parental knowledge and child alcohol use in later years. Findings reflect adolescents’ negotiations of greater autonomy with age (Bi et al., 2018). Consistent with prior work, child disclosure led to increased parental knowledge (Liu et al., 2020), which in turn led to reductions in alcohol use. Findings are novel in that parental legitimacy beliefs were associated with reduced alcohol use. In turn, youth alcohol use led to reductions in parental knowledge and child disclosure. From a prevention standpoint, increasing youth’s perceptions of legitimacy of parental authority in early adolescence by enhancing parental self-efficacy may help mitigate alcohol use initiation. Moreover, clinical interventions targeting how to effectively respond to adolescent substance use via continued positive parenting practices, including monitoring and enhancing relationship quality, may have utility.

Authors

• Nilofar Fallah-Sohy, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• Elisa Trucco, Florida International University