Gender Differences in the Association Between Family Conflict and Adolescent Substance Use Disorders

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health 2011-08, Vol.49 (2), p.187-192
• Main Authors: Skeer, Margie R., Sc.D., M.P.H., M.S.W, McCormick, Marie C., M.D., Sc.D, Normand, Sharon-Lise T., Ph.D, Mimiaga, Matthew J., Sc.D., M.P.H, Buka, Stephen L., Sc.D, Gilman, Stephen E., Sc.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Childhood; Conduct disorders; Conduct problems; Conflict (Psychology); Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Family - psychology; Family conflict; Female; Gender differences; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Negotiating; Parent-Child Relations; Pediatrics; Prospective study; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Sex Factors; Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; SUDs
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.12.003

Abstract Purpose The objectives of this study were (1) to examine whether the association between childhood family conflict and the risk of substance use disorders (SUDs) in adolescence differs by gender, and (2) to determine whether anxious/depressive symptoms and conduct problems explain this association among adolescent males and females. Methods Data were obtained from 1,421 children aged 10–16 years at the time of enrollment in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. We assessed gender differences in the association between childhood family conflict and adolescent SUDs by fitting a logistic regression model that included the interaction of gender and family conflict. We also investigated whether conduct problems and anxious/depressive symptoms explained the association between family conflict and SUDs differently for males and females through gender-specific mediation analyses. Results The association between childhood family conflict and SUDs in adolescence differed by gender ( p = .04). Family conflict was significantly associated with SUDs among females (OR: 1.61; CI: 1.20–2.15), but not among males (OR: 1.00; CI: .76–1.32). The elevated risk of SUDs among females exposed to family conflict was partly explained by girls' conduct problems, but not by anxious/depressive symptoms. Conclusions Females living in families with elevated levels of conflict were more likely to engage in acting out behaviors, which was associated with the development of SUDs. Future epidemiologic research is needed to help determine when this exposure is most problematic with respect to subsequent mental health outcomes and the most crucial time to intervene.