Johnson, Hoffman, and Gerstein (1986) studied the effects of family structure on adolescent substance abuse, using data from the 1995 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. They found that

• Youth living with two biological (including adoptive) parents are significantly less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, or to report problems with their use, than youth not living with two biological parents. These effects of family structure are not diminished when the effects of gender, age, family income, and race/ethnicity are statistically controlled in the analysis.

• For most substances, the highest risks of youth substance use, dependence, and need for illegal drug abuse treatment are found in 1) families with a father and stepmother and 2) families in which the youth is married and living with his or her spouse. High risks are also found in families where the adolescent 1) lives with a father and no mother figure or 2) lives with a mother and a nonrelative.

• Risks of youth substance use, dependence, and need for illegal drug abuse treatment are generally higher among youth who live with a biological father and a stepmother than among youth who live with a biological mother and a stepfather.

• Youths who live with a biological father and no mother or stepfather are more likely to use substances, to be dependent on substances, and to need illegal drug abuse treatment than youths who live with a biological mother and no father or stepfather.

• Regardless of family type, black adolescents have lower risk of past-year substance use and dependence than either white or Hispanic youth, and Hispanic youth are more likely to need drug treatment that either white or black adolescents.

• The effects on the risk of substance use of living with a biological mother and no biological father or stepfather are greater for female than for male youth. Relative to adolescent females in families with two biological parents, females in "mother only" families are 1.9 times as likely to use alcohol, 1.8 times as likely to use tobacco, 2.5 times as likely to use marijuana, and 2.0 times likely to use any illegal drug.

Parenting IS Prevention Training of Trainers Workshop, 1998	SAMHSA

Office of National Drug Control Policy