Citation

Hanson RF, Self-Brown S, Fricker-Elhai A, Kilpatrick DG, Saunders BE, Resnick HS. Addict. Behav. 2006; 31(11): 1988-2001.

Affiliation

National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.01.012

PMID

16503092

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To study the relations among parental substance use, violence exposure and psychopathology in a nationally representative sample of adolescents. METHOD: Random digit dialing methodology was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of 4023 adolescents, ages 12-17. Telephone surveys, conducted in 1995, assessed demographics, parental substance use, violence exposure, and three psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder (MDE), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse/dependence (SA/D). RESULTS: Obtained prevalence rates included: 8.2% for sexual assault, 22.5% for physical assault, and 39.7% for witnessing violence at home or in the community. Substance use by a family member was reported by 18.4% (n=721) of adolescents, with 50.6% reporting parental alcohol use and 19.1% (n=138) reporting parental drug use. Consistent with hypotheses, violence exposure and parental substance use, particularly parental alcohol abuse, were independently associated with outcomes. Additionally, parental substance use emerged as a moderator for MDE, PTSD, and SA/D; however, the moderating relations varied according to the outcome variable investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Violence-exposed adolescents reporting parental alcohol or drug use had the highest rates of psychiatric diagnoses.