Are Dimensions of Parenting Differentially Linked to Substance Use Across Caucasian and Asian American College Students?

Abstract

Background Parental warmth and autonomy granting are commonly thought of as protective factors against substance use among Caucasians. However, limited research has examined whether associations between parenting dimensions and substance use outcomes are the same or different among Asian Americans. Method A final analytic sample of 839 college students was used to test whether race (Caucasian vs. Asian American) moderated the relations between parenting dimensions and substance use outcomes across Caucasians and Asian Americans. We utilized the Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979) to measure maternal and paternal warmth, encouragement of behavioral freedom, and denial of psychological autonomy. Results Multivariate regression models controlling for covariates including age, gender, and paternal education indicated four significant parenting by race interactions on alcohol problems and/or marijuana use. Specifically, maternal warmth was inversely associated with both alcohol problems and marijuana use among Caucasians but not among Asian Americans. Both maternal and paternal denial of psychological autonomy were positively associated with alcohol problems among Caucasians but not among Asian Americans. Conclusions Consistent with emerging cross-cultural research, the associations between parenting dimensions and substance use behaviors observed in Caucasian populations may not be readily generalized to Asian Americans. These findings highlight the importance of considering different parenting dimensions in understanding substance use etiology among Asian Americans. Future research should use longitudinal data to replicate these findings across development and seek to identify other parenting dimensions that may be more relevant for Asian American youth.

Prospective Effects of Parenting on Substance Use and Problems Across Asian/Pacific Islander and European American Youth: Tests of Moderated Mediation

“…Second, although we may not fully understand the mechanisms by which parental knowledge confers protection against substance use behaviors among API youth, interventions promoting parents' understanding of the daily activities and whereabouts of API youth will likely be beneficial to most API youth, particularly when fathers are involved. Finally, we replicated Luk et al (2015) and found that parental warmth was unrelated to substance use behaviors among API youth, suggesting that the direct expression of affection may not be a crucial substance use treatment target. Future research should identify culturally specific developmental pathways through which parenting may lead to substance use behaviors among different subgroups of API American youth.…”

“…by Luk et al (2015) because parental knowledge was not examined in their study and a different set of parental control questionnaire items was used. Parenting effects on substance use may also be more salient during the adolescent period compared with the college years because college drinking behaviors are primarily shaped by peers and the college environment (Simons-Morton et al, 2016).…”

“…In a recent cross-sectional study among college students, Luk et al (2015) found that retrospective reports of parental warmth (as a protective factor) and denial of psychological autonomy (as a risk factor) were associated with alcohol problems and marijuana use among European Americans but not Asian Americans. The absence of significant associations among Asian Americans may reflect that parental warmth and denial of psychological autonomy are not capturing the most important elements of parenting that protect against substance use among Asian Americans.…”

Father Love and Mother Love: Contributions of Parental Acceptance to Children's Psychological Adjustment

“…Indeed, in Rohner's () multinational study, Asian respondents (from Bangladesh, China, Korea, Pakistan, and Turkey) gave much higher ratings for gender inequality in their countries than did their European counterparts (from Croatia, Greece, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom). In contrast, though, maternal warmth was not associated with alcohol problems or marijuana use among Asian Americans, although it is among Caucasians, according to Luk, Patock‐Peckham, and King (). These findings are a reminder to continue to include more diverse samples in future research in order to better identify important contexts of parental influence.…”

Measurement invariance testing of a three-factor model of parental warmth, psychological control, and knowledge across European and Asian/Pacific Islander American youth.

“…Youth’s perceived parenting is associated with multiple developmental outcomes, including academic performance, social functioning, psychological adjustment, and substance use (Engels, Deković, & Meeus, 2002; Fulton & Turner, 2008; Luk, Patock-Peckham, & King, 2015; Reitz, Deković, & Meijer, 2006). Over two decades of research has shown that youth of Asian descent may hold culturally-specific interpretation of parenting constructs (Chao, 1994, 2001; Chao & Aque, 2009; Chao & Tseng, 2002).…”