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Relations Between Parent Psychopathology, Family Functioning, and Adolescent Problems In Substance-Abusing Families: Disaggregating the Effects of Parent Gender

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Abstract

The present study: (1) examined relations between parent psychopathology and adolescent internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and substance use in substance-abusing families; and (2) tested family functioning problems as mediators of these relations. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the independent effects of parent psychopathology and family functioning problems by parent gender. Participants included 242 parents in treatment for substance abuse and/or dependence and 59 of their coparents (16.9% in treatment for substance-abuse/dependence) from middle income households (SES: M = 4.7; SD = 2.1). Ratings were obtained for 325 adolescents (48% female; 27.8% non-Caucasian) between the ages of 10 and 18 years (M = 13.5 years; SD = 2.5 years). Parent psychopathology, family functioning problems, and adolescent problems were assessed with parent and coparent ratings on the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90)/Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Family Relationship Measure, and the Child Behavior Checklist, respectively. Results indicated that maternal psychopathology was directly related to adolescent internalizing problems and substance use, but maternal perceptions of family functioning problems failed to mediate relations between maternal psychopathology and adolescent problems. By contrast, paternal perceptions of family functioning problems uniquely mediated relations between paternal psychopathology and adolescent externalizing problems. Findings underscore the importance of examining how mothers and fathers may differentially impact adolescent problems in substance-abusing families.

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Notes

  1. Examination of differences in family functioning scores for parents versus coparents also revealed no statistically significant differences.

  2. Preliminary measurement models of Mother Family Functioning, Father Family Functioning, Adolescent Internalizing, Adolescent Externalizing, and Adolescent Substance Use constructs indicated that all indicators loaded significantly onto their respective constructs.

  3. We examined the potential impact of substance use severity on both model selection and significant coefficient paths by including a covariate of substance use severity derived from the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test [70] and/or the Drug Abuse Alcohol Screening Test [71]. Results were stable when substance use severity was included as a covariate of all manifest variables and constructs in estimated models.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse Grants R29DA10821, R21DA16609, and F31DA017999. We are grateful for the generous donation of staff time at the University of Vermont, the University of Texas, and the Friends Institute in Los Angeles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 35 Convent Drive, Building 35, Room 1A104 (MSC 3720), Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Marcy Burstein

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Center for Addiction Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Catherine Stanger

  3. Department of Social and Behavioral Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Levent Dumenci

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  1. Marcy Burstein
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  2. Catherine Stanger
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  3. Levent Dumenci
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Correspondence to Marcy Burstein.

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Burstein, M., Stanger, C. & Dumenci, L. Relations Between Parent Psychopathology, Family Functioning, and Adolescent Problems In Substance-Abusing Families: Disaggregating the Effects of Parent Gender. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 43, 631–647 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0288-z

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