Early-Onset Alcohol Use Among Native American Youth: Examining Female Caretaker Influence

Authors

Melissa L. Walls, University of Minnesota–DuluthFollow
Les B. Whitbeck, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Dan R. Hoyt, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kurt D. Johnson, Pennsylvania State UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

4-2007

Citation

Journal of Marriage and Family 69:2 (May 2007), pp. 451–464; doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00376.x

Comments

Copyright © 2007 National Council on Family Relations; published by John Wiley & Sons. Used by permission.

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of female caretaker substance use on early-onset youth drinking among Native American families in the Northern Midwest. Data include 603 Native American families, with reports from female caretakers and youths aged 10–13 years. Two potential caretaker influences are taken into account: adolescent modeling of caretaker behaviors and the effects of caretaker substance abuse on parenting. Results of bivariate and path analysis provide support for the influence of caretaker substance use on adolescent drinking from both perspectives; these effects vary, however, depending on the type or degree of adult substance use, or both.