How does parental monitoring reduce adolescent substance use? Preliminary tests of two potential mechanisms

Objective: To test two non-exclusive mechanisms by which parental monitoring might reduce teen substance use. The first mechanism is that monitoring increases punishment for substance use, since parents who monitor more are more likely to find out when substance use occurs (M1). The second mechanism is that monitoring directly prevents/averts teens from using substances in the first place for fear that parents would find out (M2). Method: 4,503 teens ages 11-15 years old in 21 communities across the U.S. (51% female, 9% Black, 17% Hispanic) completed a survey reporting on parents’ monitoring/knowledge and teen’s substance use. Results: We found no support for M1: Parents with greater parental monitoring were not more likely to be aware when the teen had used substances (odds ratios=0.79-0.93, ps=.34-.85), so they could not have increased the rate of punishment. We found support for M2: When asked directly, teens identified instances in which they planned to or had a chance to use substances but did not because their parents got in the way or would have found out (p<.01). Had all those opportunities of substance use occurred rather than been averted by parents, the rate of substance use in the sample would have been 1.4 times higher. Conclusion: In this community-based sample of teens, we failed to support prior punishment-centric theories of how monitoring might reduce teen substance use. Rather, monitoring may directly discourage teens from using substances regardless of whether it increases parents’ awareness of substance use or results in more punishment.