The Association of Parentification Indicators With Substance Use Patterns Among Military-Connected Adolescents

Military-connected youths are a vulnerable population exposed to a unique set of stressors, which may put them at increased risk for adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes, compared to their civilian counterparts. Among military-connected adolescents, emotional and instrumental parentification are mechanisms hypothesized to account for negative outcomes, including substance use. However, parentification may be protective in some cultures and has not been examined in the military population. Data were drawn from 1,441 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-graders who had a parent in the military and completed the 2013 California Healthy Kids Survey. Latent class analysis was used to examine patterns of instrumental parentification indicators among military-connected youths and associated patterns of substance use. Military-connected students in the high parentification class were significantly less likely to be in the frequent polysubstance using class (odds ratio = 0.376, 95% confidence interval [0.180, 0.782]). Findings suggest that experiences of instrumental parentification, including having more responsibilities at home, being more independent, and being able to solve problems better than peers, may be protective. For military-connected youths, these skills, developed in the context of their families, may translate to better coping with other stressful situations. Professionals may be able to build on these strengths and develop adaptive coping strategies to support military-connected youths in managing the stressors of wartime military life. Public Policy Relevance Statement In the context of ongoing overseas conflicts, military-connected youths may be more likely to experience a number of negative consequences including using substances at higher rates than civilian peers. While some have posited that added responsibilities at home may increase stress for these youths and contribute to negative outcomes, this study suggests that these experiences may actually help to develop useful skills and reduce risk. Organizations that are responsible for assessing and developing treatment protocols for adolescents in military families, including schools, medical and mental health professionals, should not only evaluate potential risk factors, but also consider strengths to be amplified in military-connected youths.