Adolescent temperament moderates the relation of parenting to antisocial behavior and substance use

Although some studies have found that parental support and control are related negatively to adolescent problem behaviors, little research has examined factors that may qualify the magnitude of those relations. The present study tests whether adolescent temperament moderates the relations of parenting to antisocial behavior and substance use within a community sample (N = 631). The joint and unique contributions of parenting and temperament in the prediction of those problem behaviors were also examined in this study. Results indicate that parenting and temperament evidenced significant joint and unique relations with adolescent antisocial behavior and substance use. Furthermore, temperament moderated the relations between parenting and adolescent problem behaviors, wherein parenting showed stronger relations with antisocial behavior and substance use at higher levels of temperamental risk. The findings supported the contention that individual differences moderate the relations between parenting and problem behaviors and indicate several directions for future research.