Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Recent studies have drawn attention to adolescent dating involvement as a risk factor for substance use and other delinquent behaviors. This study tests whether parents mitigate their children’s access to drugs and alcohol by restricting casual contact with the opposite sex. Further, as parents are limited in their capacity to influence children, the study also evaluates the additive and interactive roles of social identity in the parent-child dynamic. The current investigation uses a longitudinal sample of Toledo, Ohio area youth (N=1090) and a multilevel model for change to estimate the growth in substance use from middle adolescence through early adulthood. Results indicate that high levels of dating interest and engagement predicts growth in substance use, while parenting practices specific to dating curtails the growth. The “partier” social identity exhibits an increasingly aggravating effect on substance use over time and moderates the influence of general and specific parenting practices.

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