What Social Bonds have the Greatest Influence on Patterns of Substance Use among Child-Welfare-Involved Youth?

Abstract

Child-welfare-involved youth may lack protective social bonds that could reduce their risk of substance use. We investigated whether caregiver, school, or peer bonds predict distinct patterns of substance use among child-welfare-involved youth. The sample included 720 participants in the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II. Latent class analysis (LCA) and the three-step approach to incorporate indicator variables onto the latent classes were used. We found the following classes: (1) severe polysubstance use; (2) moderate polysubstance use; and (3) low use. Youth bonded to primary caregivers were less likely to be severe polysubstance drug users, but caregiver bonds did not protect against moderate polysubstance use. School bonds protected against severe polysubstance and moderate polysubstance. Youth bonded to deviant peers were more likely to be in the severe polysubstance use and moderate polysubstance use classes. Interventions targeting child-welfare-involved youth need to account for social bonds’ effect on substance use.

Keywords:

• caregiver bonds
• child welfare
• deviant peers
• latent class analysis
• school bonds
• substance use