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Gender Differences in Relations among Perceived Family Characteristics and Risky Health Behaviors in Urban Adolescents

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Research regarding the role of gender in relations between family characteristics and health risk behaviors has been limited.

Purpose

This study aims to investigate gender differences in associations between family processes and risk-taking in adolescents.

Methods

Adolescents (N = 249; mean age = 14.5 years) starting their first year at an urban high school in the northeastern USA completed self-report measures that assessed family characteristics (i.e., parental monitoring, family social support, family conflict) and health behaviors (i.e., tobacco use, alcohol use, marijuana use, sex initiation) as part of a prospective, community-based study. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to investigate gender differences in associations between the family characteristics and health behaviors.

Results

Among males, higher levels of perceived parental monitoring were associated with lower odds of using tobacco and having ever engaged in sex. Among females, higher levels of perceived parental monitoring were associated with lower odds of marijuana use, alcohol use, and having ever engaged in sex. However, in contrast to males, among females (a) higher levels of perceived family social support were associated with lower odds of alcohol use and having ever engaged in sex and (b) higher levels of perceived family conflict were associated with higher odds of marijuana use and having ever engaged in sex.

Conclusion

Family processes were more strongly related to health behaviors among adolescent females than adolescent males. Interventions that increase parental monitoring and family social support as well as decrease family conflict may help to protect against adolescent risk taking, especially for females.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants, Rebecca Bostwick, Matthew Luciano, and Meghan Moran for their help with this project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Behavioral and Preventative Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Coro West, Suite 309 164 Summit Ave, Providence, RI, 02906, USA

    Kimberly M. Nelson PhD, MPH, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon PhD & Michael P. Carey PhD

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Kimberly M. Nelson PhD, MPH, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon PhD & Michael P. Carey PhD

  3. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA

    Kate B. Carey PhD, Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon PhD & Michael P. Carey PhD

  4. Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    Tanya L. Eckert PhD, Aesoon Park PhD, Peter A. Vanable PhD & Craig K. Ewart PhD

Authors
  1. Kimberly M. Nelson PhD, MPH
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  2. Kate B. Carey PhD
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  3. Lori A. J. Scott-Sheldon PhD
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  4. Tanya L. Eckert PhD
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  8. Michael P. Carey PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kimberly M. Nelson PhD, MPH.

Ethics declarations

Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Authors Nelson, Carey, Scott-Sheldon, Eckert, Park, Vanable, Ewart, and Carey declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures, including the informed consent process, were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Nelson, K.M., Carey, K.B., Scott-Sheldon, L.A.J. et al. Gender Differences in Relations among Perceived Family Characteristics and Risky Health Behaviors in Urban Adolescents. ann. behav. med. 51, 416–422 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9865-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9865-x

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