Parenting styles and alcohol use among adolescents: A longitudinal study

Parenting style has been identified as one of the most important risk and protective factors for substance use in adolescents. Evidence suggests that the influence of each parenting style on adolescent’s substance use varies across countries. Research studies with Spanish population have been mostly restricted to cross-sectional designs, limiting the interpretation of directionality in the relationship between parenting styles and adolescent substance use. This longitudinal study explores the predictive validity of perceived parenting style on prospective drug use and alcohol related problems in a sample of adolescents. Participants were 346 adolescents (53.64% males) who were assessed twice in a period of two years. In the first wave participants were 12.89 years old (SD = 0.54). Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the prospective relationship between perceived parenting style at first wave and substance involvement outcomes at the second. Adolescents that perceived their parents as neglectful had higher risk of developing an alcohol use disorder two years later [odds ratio (OR) : 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18-3.86 (p = .012)]. The findings of this study indicate that special attention should be given to those adolescents who perceived their parenting style as neglectful.