Does Living with a Substance Abusing Father Increase Substance Abuse Risk in Male Offspring? Impact on Individual, Family, School, and Peer Vulnerability Factors
Titel:
Does Living with a Substance Abusing Father Increase Substance Abuse Risk in Male Offspring? Impact on Individual, Family, School, and Peer Vulnerability Factors
Auteur:
Tarter, Ralph E. Schultz, Katie Kirisci, Levent Dunn, Marija
Verschenen in:
Journal of child & adolescent substance abuse
Paginering:
Jaargang 10 (2001) nr. 3 pagina's 59-70
Jaar:
2001-03-01
Inhoud:
To determine whether magnitude of risk in offspring of fathers with substance use disorders differs with respect to liability severity according to presence or absence of the father in the home. Boys age 10-12 having biological substance abusing fathers living at home were compared to a matched group of boys where the biological substance abusing fathers were separated from their mothers. Comparisons were made on a panel of individual, parent-child interaction, peer, and school adjustment variables. The variables selected for comparison are well-established predisposing factors for substance abuse. Substance abuse is more severe in men who are separated from their spouses. It was also found that 10-12 year old boys living with mothers who are separated from substance abusing men are rated higher by their mothers on conduct problems compared to boys living with both parents. Lower involvement and supervision and lower attachment to their mothers are reported by boys who do not live with the substance abusing father compared to boys living with both parents. The increased risk for substance abuse in offspring of separated parents where the father is a substance abuser is concluded to be due to the combination of transmission of more severe liability from the father and fewer resources available to the single mother for effective parenting.