1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The first aim of the present study is to verify whether parental monitoring and friend conventionality protect disruptive boys from engaging in heavy substance-use in adolescence. The second purpose is to examine whether these protective effects are strengthened by attachment to parents or friends respectively. Finally, the third objective is to verify whether the expected protective effect of parental monitoring could be mediated through exposure to conventional friends. » (p. 1075)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« Participants were part of an ongoing longitudinal study that began in 1984. The initial sample included 1037 kindergarten boys of 6 years of age (M=6.0, SD=0.27) attending schools in low socioeconomic neighbourhoods of Montreal, Quebec. These boys represented 87% of the boys in all 53 schools from low socioeconomic neighbourhoods in the city. » (p. 1075-1076)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« In this study, we sought to identify factors that could protect at risk disruptive boys from engaging in heavy substance use in adolescence. From a social learning and social control perspectives (Bandura, 1986; Hirschi, 1969), we considered two types of putative protective factors from two important domains – family and peer-related. These protective factors were tested using a longitudinal design spanning from childhood (age 6–10) to mid-adolescence (ages 14–15). In addition, we tested whether peer conventionality, mediated the protective effect of parental monitoring on the risk posed by disruptiveness. Results showed that disruptiveness and attachment to peers are independently and positively associated with heavy substance use. Conversely, parent monitoring and peer conventionality were independently and negatively associated with heavy substance use. These unique effects, which varied from medium to strong, remained statistically significant once all other variables and interaction terms were included in the regression models. Hence, experiences with family and peers, can influence one’s own behavior, an idea which has now been confirmed repeatedly in studies using multiple designs and involving different types of behaviors (see Steinberg, 2008b, and Prinstein, & Dodge, 2008, for an overview). » (p. 1079)