Parental Substance Use Modeling and Monthly Alcohol, Cannabis, and E-Cigarette Use among Female Adolescents and Young Adults

Background:Female adolescents and young adults (AYA) in the U.S. now match, or surpass, their male peers in rates of alcohol, cannabis, and e-cigarette use. Given the heightened health risks associated with substance use for females across the lifespan, identifying areas for prevention is crucial. Guided by social cognitive theory, this study examined how observation frequency of parent alcohol use and cigarette smoking related to female AYAs' monthly alcohol, cannabis, and e-cigarette use. Methods:Participants (ages 15-24) reported sociodemographic information, observation frequency of parental drinking and cigarette smoking (never, sometimes, near daily/daily), and their own monthly substance use via timeline follow-back. Negative binomial regressions analyzed observation frequency of parent drinking and/or smoking, parent-child relationship quality, parental monitoring, and sociodemographic correlates on total use days per month. Results:The sample (N=149, M age =19.09 years, 61.7% non-Hispanic White). On average, participants reported using alcohol on 6.52 days, cannabis on 3.74 days, and e-cigarettes on 8.81 days in the past month. More frequent observation of parental smoking was significantly associated with a higher rate of alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarette use days. More frequent observation of parental alcohol use was linked to fewer drinking and cannabis use days, but increased e-cigarette use days, though none of these associations were significant (p<.05). Conclusion:Parents and caregivers play important roles in AYA substance use prevention, and reducing the frequency of visible parental smoking may serve as a useful harm reduction strategy.