1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The present investigation was designed to discern which factors contributed most to early-onset substance abuse: SOMA [sons of male alcoholics] status, having a behavioral problem, having a mother who was not authoritative in her parenting style, or some combination of these. » (p. 87)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The 82 mother-son dyads who participated in the present study are a subsample of a cohort of French-speaking Canadian boys who originated from a low-SES [socioeconomic status] neighborhoods in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Most of the mothers and fathers were not high school graduates. » (p. 87)

Instruments :
- Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ; Tremblay et al., 1991);
- Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (SMAST; Selzer, 1971; Selzer, Vinokir + van Rooijen, 1975);
- Logo program (Paper, 1981);
- Observation coding scales.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Sons of male alcoholics (SOMAs) are said to be at risk for alcoholism. The present study examined 4 groups of 13year-old boys: SOMAs with and without disruptive behaviors, disruptive boys who were not SOMAs, and control participants. The classification of disruptive was based of 7 year longitudinal data, and father’s alcoholism was determined by standardized tests. Mothers’ nurturance and promotion of autonomy were assessed in a laboratory setting; boys’ substance abuse was measured by selfreport methods in the same year as the observation. Boys with disruptive behaviors showed the most substance abuse; no effect of father’s alcoholism was found. Disruptive boys’ mothers were significantly less nurturant and demanded obedience rather than promoted autonomy. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the boys’ disruptive behavior and the mother’s lack of nurturance predicted early-onset substance abuse. » (p. 86)