Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Parental Knowledge is a Contextual Amplifier of Associations of Pubertal Maturation and Substance Use

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Earlier pubertal development and less parental knowledge have been linked to more substance use during adolescence. The present study examines interactions between pubertal timing and tempo and parental knowledge (children’s disclosure, parental control, and parental solicitation) for adolescent substance initiation. Data are from a northeastern US-based cohort-sequential study examining 1023 youth (52 % female) semiannually for up to 6 assessments (ages 10.5–19 years). The findings supported the hypothesis that lower knowledge is a contextual amplifier of early timing-substance use associations in girls and later timing/slower tempo-substance use associations in boys, though results varied based on source of knowledge. The findings suggest that prevention efforts may have the greatest impact when targeting families of early developing girls, and later developing boys, and that incorporating a focus on specific sources of knowledge depending on the pubertal maturation profile of the adolescent may prove valuable in prevention/intervention efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We also ran the analyses including age as an additional covariate and results did not change substantively.

References

  • Abar, C., Jackson, K., Colby, S., & Barnett, N. (2014). Parent-child discrepancies in reports of parental monitoring and their relationship to adolescent alcohol-related behaviors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence,. doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0143-6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beltz, A. M., Corley, R. P., Bricker, J. B., Wadsworth, S. J., & Berenbaum, S. A. (2014). Modeling pubertal timing and tempo and examining links to behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 50(12), 2715–2726.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Booth, A., Johnson, D. R., Granger, D. A., Crouter, A. C., & McHale, S. (2003). Testosterone and child and adolescent adjustment: The moderating role of parent-child relationships. Developmental Psychology, 39(1), 85–98.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bumpus, M. F., & Rodgers, K. B. (2009). Parental knowledge and its sources: Examining the moderating roles of family structure and race. Journal of Family Issues, 30(10), 1356–1378. doi:10.1177/0192513x09334154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cance, J. D., Ennett, S. T., Morgan-Lopez, A. A., Foshee, V. A., & Talley, A. E. (2013). Perceived pubertal timing and recent substance use among adolescents: A longitudinal perspective. Addiction, 108(10), 1845–1854. doi:10.1111/add.12214.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castellanos-Ryan, N., Parent, S., Vitaro, F., Tremblay, R. E., & Seguin, J. R. (2013). Pubertal development, personality, and substance use: A 10-year longitudinal study from childhood to adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122(3), 782–796. doi:10.1037/a0033133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D. A., Richardson, J., & LaBree, L. (1994). Parenting behaviors and the onset of smoking and alcohol use: A longitudinal study. Pediatrics, 94(3), 368–375.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costello, E. J., Sung, M., Worthman, C., & Angold, A. (2007). Pubertal maturation and the development of alcohol use and abuse. Drug Alcohol Depend, 88, Supplement, 1(0), S50–S59. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.12.009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crouter, A. C., & Head, M. R. (2002). Parental monitoring and knowledge of children. In Handbook of parenting: Vol. 3: Being and becoming a parent (2nd ed., pp. 461–483). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

  • Dawes, M. A., Dorn, L. D., Moss, H. B., Yao, J. K., Kirisci, L., Ammerman, R. T., et al. (1999). Hormonal and behavioral homeostasis in boys at risk for substance abuse. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 55(1–2), 165–176. doi:10.1016/S0376-8716(99)00003-4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Water, E., Braams, B. R., Crone, E. A., & Peper, J. S. (2013). Pubertal maturation and sex steroids are related to alcohol use in adolescents. Hormones and Behavior, 63(2), 392–397. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.11.018.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deardorff, J., Cham, H., Gonzales, N. A., White, R. M. B., Tein, J.-Y., Wong, J. J., et al. (2013). Pubertal timing and Mexican-origin girls’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms: The influence of harsh parenting. Developmental Psychology, 49(9), 1790–1804. doi:10.1037/a0031016.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dick, D. M., Rose, R. J., Pulkkinen, L., & Kaprio, J. (2001). Measuring puberty and understanding its impact: A longitudinal study of adolescent twins. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(4), 385–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., & McMahon, R. J. (1998). Parental monitoring and the prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior: A conceptual and empirical formulation. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1(1), 61–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., Nelson, S. E., & Kavanagh, K. (2003). The family check-up with high-risk young adolescents: Preventing early-onset substance use by parent monitoring. Behavior Therapy, 34(4), 553–571. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(03)80035-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Malone, P. S., Lansford, J. E., Miller, S., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2009). A dynamic cascade model of the development of substance-use onset. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev, 74(3), vii-119. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5834.2009.00528.x.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dorn, L. D., & Biro, F. M. (2011). Puberty and its measurement: A decade in review. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 180–195. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00722.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, B. J., Shirtcliff, E. A., Boyce, W. T., Deardorff, J., & Essex, M. J. (2011). Quality of early family relationships and the timing and tempo of puberty: Effects depend on biological sensitivity to context. (Vol. 23, pp. 85–99): Cambridge Journals Online.

  • Fosco, G. M., Stormshak, E. A., Dishion, T. J., & Winter, C. E. (2012). Family relationships and parental monitoring during middle school as predictors of early adolescent problem behavior. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 41(2), 202–213. doi:10.1080/15374416.2012.651989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ge, X., Brody, G. H., Conger, R. D., Simons, R. L., & Murry, V. M. (2002). Contextual amplification of pubertal transition effects on deviant peer affiliation and externalizing behavior among African American children. Developmental Psychology, 38(1), 42–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ge, X., & Natsuaki, M. N. (2009). In search of explanations for early pubertal timing effects on developmental psychopathology. Current Directions in Pscyhological Science, 18(6), 327–331. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01661.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graber, J. A., Lewinsohn, P. M., Seeley, J. R., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1997). Is psychopathology associated with the timing of pubertal development? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(12), 1768–1776.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Granger, D. A., Shirtcliff, E. A., Zahn, Waxler, C., Usher, B., Klimes, et al. (2003). Salivary testosterone diurnal variation and psychopathology in adolescent males and females: Individual differences and developmental effects (Vol. 15, pp. 431–449): Cambridge Journals Online.

  • Grant, B. F., Stinson, F. S., & Harford, T. C. (2001). Age at onset of alcohol use and DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: A 12-year follow-up. Journal of Substance Abuse, 13(4), 493–504. doi:10.1016/S0899-3289(01)00096-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, K. J., Ram, N., & Hamagami, F. (2011). Nonlinear growth curves in developmental research. Child Development, 82(5), 1357–1371.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hopfer, C. J., Crowley, T. J., & Hewitt, J. K. (2003). Review of twin and adoption studies of adolescent substance use. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(6), 710–719.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel, A., Shelton, K. H., Heron, J., Moore, L., & van den Bree, M. B. M. (2013). A systematic review of the relationships between family functioning, pubertal timing and adolescent substance use. Addiction, 108(3), 487–496. doi:10.1111/add.12055.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, K. M., Barnett, N. P., Colby, S. M., & Rogers, M. L. (2015). The prospective association between sipping alcohol by the 6th grade and later substance use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76, 212–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, K. M., Roberts, M. E., Colby, S. M., Barnett, N. P., Abar, C. C., & Merrill, J. E. (2014). Willingness to drink as a function of peer offers and peer norms in early adolescence. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 75(3), 404.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaltiala-Heino, R., Koivisto, A.-M., Marttunen, M., & Fröjd, S. (2011). Pubertal timing and substance use in middle adolescence: A 2-year follow-up study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(10), 1288–1301. doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9667-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2000). What parents know, how they know it, and several forms of adolescent adjustment: Further support for a reinterpretation of monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 36(3), 366–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lac, A., & Crano, W. D. (2009). Monitoring matters: Meta-analytic review reveals the reliable linkage of parental monitoring with adolescent marijuana use. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(6), 578–586. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01166.x.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laitinen-Krispijn, S., van der Ende, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (1999). The role of pubertal progress in the development of depression in early adolescence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 54(1–2), 211–215. doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(98)00166-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. S., McCarty, C. A., Ahrens, K., King, K. M., Vander Stoep, A., & McCauley, E. A. (2014). Pubertal timing and adolescent substance initiation. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 14(3), 286–307. doi:10.1080/1533256X.2014.935648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H. K., Kelly, A. B., Chan, G. C. K., Toumbourou, J. W., Patton, G. C., & Williams, J. W. (2014). The association of puberty and young adolescent alcohol use: Do parents have a moderating role? Addictive Behaviors, 39(10), 1389–1393. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.05.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, R., & Rubin, D. (1987). Statistical analysis with missing data. Series in probability and mathematical statistics. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marceau, K., Ram, N., Houts, R. M., Grimm, K. J., & Susman, E. J. (2011). Individual differences in boys’ and girls’ timing and tempo of puberty: Modeling development with nonlinear growth models. Developmental Psychology, 47(5), 1389–1409. doi:10.1037/a0023838.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marceau, K., Ram, N., & Susman, E. J. (2014). Development and lability in the parent–child relationship during adolescence: Associations with pubertal timing and tempo. Journal of Research on Adolescence,. doi:10.1111/jora.12139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, W. A., & Tanner, J. M. (1969). Variations in pattern of pubertal changes in girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 44, 291–303.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, W. A., & Tanner, J. M. (1970). Variations in the pattern of pubertal changes in boys. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 45, 13–23.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., Legrand, L. N., Malone, S., & Elkins, I. (2001). Origins and consequences of age at first drink. I. Associations with substance use disorders, disinhibitory behavior and psychopathology, and P3 amplitude. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 25(8), 1156–1165.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mendle, J., & Ferrero, J. (2012). Detrimental psychological outcomes associated with pubertal timing in adolescent boys. Developmental Review, 32(1), 49–66. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2011.11.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendle, J., Harden, K. P., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Graber, J. A. (2010). Development’s tortoise and hare: Pubertal timing, pubertal tempo, and depressive symptoms in boys and girls. Developmental Psychology, 46(5), 1341–1353.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mendle, J., Turkheimer, E., & Emery, R. E. (2007). Detrimental psychological outcomes associated with early pubertal timing in adolescent girls. Developmental Review, 27(2), 151–171.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. R., Harden, K. P., & Mendle, J. (2014). Pubertal timing and adolescent sexual behavior in girls. Developmental Psychology, 50(6), 1734–1745. doi:10.1037/a0036027.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paikoff, R. L., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1991). Do parent-child relationships change during puberty? Psychological Bulletin, 110(1), 47–66.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, W., & Skrondal, A. (1998). Alcohol consumption debut: predictors and consequences. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 59(1), 32–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, A. C., Crockett, L., Richards, M., & Boxer, A. (1988). A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17(2), 117–133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, A. C., Crockett, L., Richards, M., & Boxer, A. (1988). A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity and initial norms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17(2), 117–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, S. M., Jorm, A. F., & Lubman, D. I. (2010). Parenting factors associated with reduced adolescent alcohol use: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 44(9), 774–783. doi:10.1080/00048674.2010.501759.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shirtcliff, E. A., Dahl, R. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2009). Pubertal development: Correspondence between hormonal and physical development. Child Development, 80(2), 327–337. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01263.x.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skoog, T., & Stattin, H. (2014). Why and under what contextual conditions do early-maturing girls develop problem behaviors? Child Development Perspectives, 8(3), 158–162. doi:10.1111/cdep.12076.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spirito, A., Sindelar-Manning, H., Colby, S. M., et al. (2011). Individual and family motivational interventions for alcohol-positive adolescents treated in an emergency department: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 165(3), 269–274. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.296.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stattin, H. K., & Kerr, M. (2000). Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Development, 71(4), 1072–1085.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., Fletcher, A., & Darling, N. (1994). Parental monitoring and peer influences on adolescent substance use. Pediatrics, 93(6), 1060–1064.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Susman, E. J., Houts, R. M., Steinberg, L., Belsky, J., Cauffman, E., DeHart, G., et al. (2010). Longitudinal development of secondary sexual characteristics in girls and boys between ages 91/2 and 151/2 Years. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164, 166–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Ryzin, M. J., Fosco, G. M., & Dishion, T. J. (2012). Family and peer predictors of substance use from early adolescence to early adulthood: An 11-year prospective analysis. Addictive Behaviors, 37(12), 1314–1324. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.06.020.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Westling, E., Andrews, J. A., Hampson, S. E., & Peterson, M. (2008). Pubertal timing and substance use: The effects of gender, parental monitoring and deviant peers. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(6), 555–563. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.11.002.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Windle, M., Spear, L. P., Fuligni, A. J., Angold, A., Brown, J. D., Pine, D., et al. (2008). Transitions into underage and problem drinking: Developmental processes and mechanisms between 10 and 15 years of age. Pediatrics, 121(Supplement 4), S273–S289. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2243C.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the many youths and their parents who willingly participated in iSAY, as well as the team of investigators. This manuscript was written with funding support through the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA016838 and K02 AA021761, Jackson). Manuscript preparation was also supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32 DA016184, Marceau).

Authors’ Contributions

KM analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. CA helped draft and edit the manuscript. KJ conceived and executed the larger study, and helped draft and edit the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, 121 S. Main St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Kristine Marceau & Kristina M. Jackson

  2. Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Kristine Marceau

  3. SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY, USA

    Caitlin C. Abar

Authors
  1. Kristine Marceau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Caitlin C. Abar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kristina M. Jackson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristine Marceau.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Marceau, K., Abar, C.C. & Jackson, K.M. Parental Knowledge is a Contextual Amplifier of Associations of Pubertal Maturation and Substance Use. J Youth Adolescence 44, 1720–1734 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0335-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0335-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation