Abstract
Although research has indicated that maltreated children are at higher risk of adolescent substance use, it remains unclear whether the type and timing of maltreatment affect the likelihood of adolescent substance use. Research has also found father involvement to be a potential protective factor against adolescent substance use, but the role of quality vs. quantity of father involvement as well as gender differences in the effects of father involvement on substance use among at-risk adolescents have not been studied. The current study adds value to the existing literature by filling these gaps in knowledge. We conducted a secondary data analysis with a sample of 685 at-risk adolescents drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. The study found a connection between early childhood (birth to 5) physical abuse and adolescent substance use, but not for later childhood physical abuse or other forms of child maltreatment. The quality of father involvement was found to be a protective factor, regardless of child gender; quantity of father involvement was not significant. Based on these findings, development of intervention strategies focusing on prevention of early childhood physical abuse and promoting positive father-child relationships are important prevention strategies for adolescent substance use. Additionally, professionals working with at-risk adolescents need to be cognizant of the implications of early childhood physical abuse and act accordingly to mitigate the increased potential for adolescent substance use.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 206-216 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Child Abuse and Neglect |
| Volume | 86 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This document includes data from the Consortium of Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), which was funded by the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN), Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, Dept. of Health and Human Services (The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN)). The data were made available by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and have been used with permission. The collector of the original data, the funder, NDACAN, Cornell University and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Ohio State University Institute for Population Research through a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of NIH, P2CHD058484 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD or the NIH.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Adolescents
- At-risk adolescents
- Child maltreatment
- Father involvement
- Substance use
