Fathers who abuse drugs and their adolescent children: longitudinal predictors of adolescent aggression

This longitudinal study examines the relationship between earlier paternal drug abuse, environmental factors, paternal child- rearing practices, and adolescent vulnerable personality attributes and later adolescent aggressive behavior. Data were collected at two points in time, one year apart, via individual, structured interviews. Structural Equation Modeling ( SEM) was used to assess the interrelationship of the earlier factors with respect to later adolescent aggression. Interviews took place in an inner- city community, within the schools and the participants' homes. Participants included low- income, predominantly African American and Hispanic adolescents ( N = 296) whose fathers abused drugs. The fathers were recruited from drug- abuse treatment programs in several U. S. cities. The outcome measure was adolescent aggressive behavior at Time 2 ( T2). The findings showed that paternal drug abuse, environmental factors, and paternal child- rearing practices were mediated by the adolescent's vulnerable personality attributes. The adolescent's vulnerable personality attributes were the most proximal constructs to later adolescent aggressive behavior. Both paternal drug abuse and environmental factors were mediated by paternal child- rearing practices. The findings suggest that earlier environmental stresses, paternal drug abuse, paternal child- rearing practices, and adolescent vulnerable personality attributes are associated with later adolescent aggression.