Substance abuse in parents and their adolescent offspring: The role of sexual maturation and sensation seeking

A test of a theory positing a role of sexual maturation and behavioral self-regulation in the development of early onset substance use disorders (Tarter et al., 1999) was conducted. The rate of maturation in adolescent males across three timepoints, measured using Tanner staging, was found to be associated with parental substance use disorder (SUD). Parental, especially maternal, SUD was related to the sons' SUD. The results of a structural equation model analysis are consistent with partial mediation of this relationship by sexual maturation, influencing sensation seeking, which is associated with the risk for subsequent early onset SUD. (C) 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.