The Direct and Indirect Effects of Parental Bonds, Parental Drug Use, and Self-Control on Adolescent Substance Use

Research indicates that parenting has important effects on adolescent substance use. However, the indirect effect of parenting on adolescent substance use via self-control is less understood. Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime has been extensively tested by researchers in the field of criminology, but the theory rarely has been used to predict adolescent substance use. Although Goffredson and Hirschi clearly assume that self-control is predicated on parenting, its mediating effect is rarely assessed. We find direct effects of self-control and maternal marijuana use on substance use and also find that self-control mediates the relationship between other parenting variables and adolescent substance use.