Gender Differences in the Relationship between Some Family Characteristics and Adolescent Substance Abuse

Examines the relationship between family variables & cigarette, alcohol, & drug abuse. Sex differences were also researched among the 1,258 boys & 1,538 girls from Croatia who described their family structures, degree of family cohesion, parental social support, & family interaction (family activities & leisure time spent with family). They also described their use of cigarettes, alcohol, & drugs during their lives. Findings show that, when compared to adolescents from single-parent families, those with parents who are married feel that they receive more parental social support. While adolescent boys do not make a distinction in their evaluation of family cohesion, girls whose parents are married evaluate family cohesion better than girls from single-parent families. The family interaction scale showed a statistically significant difference only for the boy sample, on the subscale of leisure time spent with family. Results are discussed in relation to different socialization patterns of boys & girls. 7 Tables, 46 References. Adapted from the source document.