Parent and Adolescent Reports of Parental Monitoring and Sources of Parental Knowledge are Linked to Cannabis Use and Symptom Development in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective. Greater discrepancies between parent and adolescent reports of parenting behaviors are associated with poorer adolescent functioning. The present research aims to build from the existing literature by examining unique parent and adolescent perceptions of parental monitoring and distinct sources of parental knowledge (i.e, parental solicitation, parental control, child disclosure) and their association with adolescent cannabis and alcohol use and disorder symptoms using cross-sectional data. Method. Parent-adolescent dyads (N = 132) were recruited from the community and the family court system. Adolescents were ages 12 to 18 (40.2% female; 68.2% White, 18.2% Hispanic). Parents and adolescents completed a questionnaire assessing the four domains of parenting behaviors. Adolescents’ substance-use behaviors and related disorder symptoms were assessed via adolescent self-report and semi-structured interviews. Results. Parental ratings of distinct parenting behaviors were higher (more favorable) than their child’s reports, as shown in prior studies. Parent-reported parenting behaviors were uniquely related to cannabis use, over and above adolescent reports and the adolescent’s age. With regard to report discrepancies, interactive effects of parent and adolescent perceptions of parental control were not statistically significant in our analysis after correcting for multiple tests. Conclusions. While most research relating parental monitoring to adolescent cannabis use relies solely on adolescent perceptions, our study suggests a unique role of parent perceptions for cannabis use and disorder symptoms, respectively. Findings support the importance of considering unique parent and adolescent perceptions of what parents know, as well as how they know it, to understand early cannabis use and problem development.