Parental monitoring as a potential mediator of family connectedness and substance use among urban 7th grade students

Background: Family connectedness (FC), variously referred as family/parental closeness, cohesion, involvement, or responsiveness, has been shown to be a protective factor for substance use among teenagers. However, the mechanism of the relationship between FC and substance use is unclear.

Purpose: We investigated whether parental monitoring (PM) (i.e., the degree to which parents know about their child's activities, friends, and whereabouts), mediates the relationship between FC and lifetime substance use among 7th grade students in Houston, Texas.

Methods: The study used cross-sectional data from urban public school 7th grade students. Baron and Kenny's criteria for a mediating relationship were tested using logistic and linear regressions.

Results: The sample comprised 1,456 students (50% Hispanic, 38% African-American, and 12% other race/ethnicity); mean age12.7 years; 124 students reported substance use at least once in their life. PM significantly mediated the relationship between FC and lifetime substance use. PM fully mediated the relationship between FC and lifetime substance use for boys, but was a partial mediator for girls. PM significantly mediated the relationship between FC and lifetime substance use among both African-American and Hispanic participants.

Conclusion: PM was a significant mediator for the relationship between FC and lifetime substance use among 7th graders, though the mediating relationship differed by sub-groups. Interventions to reduce substance use among teenagers by focusing on FC should address the role of PM. Interventions should take account differences in race/ethnicity and sex. Future research should further examine causality of these associations.