Perceived parental acceptance-rejection, family-related factors, and socio-economic status of families of adolescent heroin addicts

To compare adolescent heroin addicts and non-addicts with respect to their perceived parental acceptance and rejection, family factors (structure of the family, parents' marital status, and psychopathological disorders in the family), socio-economic status, and subjective appraisal of their family relations. Fifty-two heroin addicts aged between 17 and 21, were compared with a group of 52 non-addicts of the same age. The comparison group was selected from an ad-hoc sample of high-school juniors and seniors and first- and second-year university students. Only participants who reported never to have taken any drugs were selected for the group of non-addicts. The perceived parental behavior of mothers and fathers was assessed by the 32-item version of Rohner's Parental Acceptance-rejection Questionnaire. Three other questionnaires were constructed to collect information on family factors, socio-economic status, subjective appraisal of family relations, and drug usage. The addicts perceived their mothers as more rejecting (p=0.018 for total score), more aggressive (p=0.007), and showing more undifferentiated rejection (p=0.001) than non-addicts. The addicts perceived their fathers as more rejecting then their mothers (p=0.002 for total score), less warm and accepting (p