Perceived Parental Legitimacy as a Moderator of Parent−Child Communication’s Effects on Latina/o Adolescent Substance Use

ABSTRACT

Utilizing primary socialization theory (PST) and longitudinal survey data from 381 Latina/o sixth- through eighth-grade students, we hypothesized that four types of parent anti-substance use messages (i.e., parents’ own past substance use, religious beliefs, respect for family, and peer resistance) would discourage Latina/o students’ substance use, particularly when the students perceived their parents’ anti-substance use messages were legitimate. The results supported moderation. For Latina/o students who thought that their parents’ anti-substance use messages were legitimate, many of the anti-substance use messages were negatively related to substance use, but the associations were positive or nonsignificant for Latina/o students who thought that their parents’ anti-substance use messages were not legitimate. The findings extend past work on PST and anti-substance use parent−child communication, highlighting the importance of perceived legitimacy and message content.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the undergraduate and graduate students who assisted in this study’s data collection and data entry, as well as the school staff and students who contributed to this study.

Funding

This project was supported by two internal grants that were awarded to the first author: the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research Social Science Research Grant, and the Academic Faculty Senate’s Pearl Chase Grant.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by two internal grants that were awarded to the first author: the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research Social Science Research Grant, and the Academic Faculty Senate’s Pearl Chase Grant.