文摘
Research question: What are the long-term consequences of the parent-child relationship for adult children’s substance use (i.e., smoking levels, low to moderate alcohol use)? Method: Latent growth curve analysis of national longitudinal survey data. Results: Contact with mothers in adulthood has a health-enhancing effect on sons’ smoking. Fathers’ support is related to a decline in alcohol use for sons and daughters, but also an increase in smoking for sons only. Strain from parents are complex, suggesting that the ways in which adult children cope and manage strain with parents may result in multiple pathways of substance use. Conclusion: Our study raises new questions about whether and when family ties are “good” or “bad” for health and calls for a more multifaceted view of the long-lasting parent-child tie. We spotlight the need to look at the parent-child relationship as a dynamic social tie that changes over the life course and has consequences for health in adulthood.