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. 2022 Jan;57(1):173-181.
doi: 10.1007/s00127-021-02118-5. Epub 2021 Jun 13.

Does parental permissiveness toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use influence illicit drug use among adolescents? A longitudinal study in seven European countries

Emina Mehanović  1   2 , Federica Vigna-Taglianti  3   4 , Fabrizio Faggiano  5 , Maria Rosaria Galanti  6   7 ; EU-Dap Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Does parental permissiveness toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use influence illicit drug use among adolescents? A longitudinal study in seven European countries

Emina Mehanović et al. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Adolescents' perceptions of parental norms may influence their substance use. The relationship between parental norms toward cigarette and alcohol use, and the use of illicit substances among their adolescent children is not sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze this relationship, including gender differences, using longitudinal data from a large population-based study.

Methods: The present study analyzed longitudinal data from 3171 12- to 14-year-old students in 7 European countries allocated to the control arm of the European Drug Addiction Prevention trial. The impact of parental permissiveness toward cigarettes and alcohol use reported by the students at baseline on illicit drug use at 6-month follow-up was analyzed through multilevel logistic regression models, stratified by gender. Whether adolescents' own use of cigarette and alcohol mediated the association between parental norms and illicit drug use was tested through mediation models.

Results: Parental permissive norms toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use at baseline predicted adolescents' illicit drug use at follow-up. The association was stronger among boys than among girls and was mediated by adolescents' own cigarette and alcohol use.

Conclusion: Perceived parental permissiveness toward the use of legal drugs predicted adolescents' use of illicit drugs, especially among boys. Parents should be made aware of the importance of norm setting, and supported in conveying clear messages of disapproval of all substances.

Keywords: Adolescents; Gender; Illicit drug use; Longitudinal study; Mediators; Parental permissiveness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mediation effect of parental permissiveness to smoke cigarettes on adolescent illicit drug use through cigarette usea,b
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mediation effect of parental permissiveness to use alcohol on adolescent illicit drug use through alcohol usea,b
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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