Parental Influences on Marijuana Use and Perceptions of Risk in Emerging Adulthood
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Date
2020-12-08
Authors
Cardenas, Lucia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gain a clearer understanding of the relation between parental relationship qualities, emerging adult (EA) perceptions of risk of marijuana use, and overall EA marijuana use outcomes. The present study drew from an ethnically and socioeconomially diverse sample of EAs (ages 19-22) and their parents (n = 470) from the Pacific Northwest region. This study used parent-report and child-report data to capture measures of parenting, EA perceptions of risk, and EA marijuana use outcomes. Regression results revealed quality of parent-child communication, congruence in parent knowledge of marijuana use, and parental underestimation of marijuana use were associated with higher levels of EA marijuana use. Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) was used to model trajectories of marijuana use and risk factor analyses were used to examine how marijuana group membership varied by covariates and parental relationship qualities. Results revealed that lower levels of family cohesion and quality of parent-child communication were more likely to predict membership in the high-using groups and moderate-decreasing user groups in comparison to low-to-non users. Results also indicated that lower levels of frequency of parent-child communication were more likely to predict membership in the high-users group compared to the low-to-non users. Regarding parent knowledge of marijuana use, trends toward congruence and underestimation of EA marijuana use predicted membership in the high-using and moderate-decreasing groups compared to the low-to-non users. Lastly, a quasilongitudinal mediation model indicated EA perceptions of risk may act as a safety mechanism between the deleterious effects of unhealthy congruence in parent knowledge, and underestimation of use on EA marijuana use outcomes. Study results indicate EAs in their early 20s may be more likely to engage in healthy decision-making regarding marijuana use in an environment that includes warm, supportive parent-child relationships where parents are aware of their EAs use without focusing on their EA’s perceptions of risk.
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Keywords
Emerging adulthood, Lifespan development, Parenting, Substance use prevention