Childhood executive control and adolescent substance use: Mediation via parent–child relationship quality

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• Author: Irina Patwardhan,Ying Guo,Charles B. Fleming,Tiffany D. James,Jennifer Mize Nelson,Kimberly Andrews Espy,Timothy D. Nelson,W. Alex Mason
• Date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13061

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Childhood executive control and adolescent substance

use: Mediation via parent–child relationship quality

Irina Patwardhan

1

| Ying Guo

2

| Charles B. Fleming

3

|

Tiffany D. James

4

| Jennifer Mize Nelson

4

|

Kimberly Andrews Espy

5

| Timothy D. Nelson

6

| W. Alex Mason

7

1

Child and Family Translational Research

Center, Boys Town, Boys Town, NE

2

Department of Environmental and

Occupational Health, School of Public Health,

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV

3

Center for the Study of Health and Risk

Behaviors, University of Washington,

Seattle, WA

4

Office of Research and Economic

Development, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

5

Office of the Provost, University of Texas at

San Antonio

6

Department of Psychology, University of

Nebraska–Lincoln

7

Department of Youth and Family Studies,

Center for Research on Children, Youth,

Families, and Schools, University of

Nebraska–, Lincoln

Correspondence

Irina Patwardhan, Boys Town, Child and

Family Translational Research Center, 14015

Flanagan Boulevard #102, Boys Town, NE

68010.

Email: irina.patwardhan@boystown.org

Funding information

the National Institute of General Medical

Sciences, Grant/Award Number:

P20GM130461; The National Institute of

Mental Health, Grant/Award Number:

MH065668; National Institute on Drug Abuse,

Grant/Award Number: DA041738

Abstract

Objective: The goal of the current study was to test pro-

spective direct and indirect associations between preschool

executive control (EC), parental affective quality and

harsh discipline, and adolescent substance use (e-ciga-

rettes, cannabis, and alcohol) while accounting for partici-

pants’age, sex, family history of substance use, and family

socioeconomic status.

Method: Participants were 313 youth (49% boys; 70.9%

European American) and their parents who participated in

a longitudinal cohort-sequential study on the development

of EC in preschool and its associations with subsequent

health outcomes. Substance use initiation and frequency

(e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol) were obtained via

phone surveys from youth who participated in adolescent

assessments. Parental affective quality and harsh discipline

were obtained from parental questionnaires in

adolescence.

Results: The direct effects from preschool EC on adoles-

cent substance use were statistically nonsignificant for

e-cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol. Mediation analyses

revealed a statistically significant indirect effect from pre-

school EC to adolescent use of e-cigarettes through harsh

discipline (b=0.07 [95% CI =0.18; 0.01];

β=0.04). The associations between preschool EC and

any of the substance use outcomes in adolescence through

parental affective quality were nonsignificant.

Author note: Funding was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (grant MH065668), the National Institute of General

Medical Sciences (grant P20GM130461), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (grant DA041738) of the National Institutes of

Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National

Institutes of Health or the funding agencies.

Received: 10 July 2023 Revised: 6 March 2024 Accepted: 25 May 2024

DOI: 10.1111/fare.13061

© 2024 National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2024;73:3513–3529. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 3513

Conclusions: This study fills significant gaps in the emerg-

ing literature on longitudinal contributions of child charac-

teristics to parenting behaviors, suggesting that early EC

deficiencies may elicit more harsh discipline during adoles-

cence, ultimately leading to higher adolescent engagement

in e-cigarette use.

KEYWORDS

adolescence, executive control, longitudinal, parent–child relationships,

substance use

Substance initiation usually occurs in adolescence, and the most used substances are alcohol,

e-cigarettes, and cannabis. According to the Monitoring the Future study (Miech et al., 2022),

the lifetime prevalence among 12th graders in the United States in 2021 was 54.1% for alcohol

use, 38.7% for vaping nicotine (e-cigarette), and 38.6% for nonmedical cannabis use. Substance

use in adolescence is concerning because it can disrupt ongoing brain maturation and cognitive

functioning (Lees et al., 2020) and increase risk for the development of substance use disorders

(Casey & Jones, 2010). Understanding factors contributing to adolescent substance use before

its initiation may provide insight for the development and refinement of preventive

interventions.

Despite the growing importance of peers, the family remains one of the primary socializing

influences on adolescents (Peterson, 2005), providing a context for either increasing risk for or

building protection against health-compromising behaviors such as substance use. Indeed,

parent–child relationship quality (PCRQ) is one of the primary influences on adolescent sub-

stance use (Ackard et al., 2006). Studies have documented that adolescents who have emotion-

ally supportive relationships with and feel connected to their parents are less likely to engage in

substance use (Fagan et al., 2013; Fosco & LoBraico, 2019; Madkour et al., 2017). Although

there is an abundance of research documenting contributions of PCRQ to substance use in ado-

lescence, there have been limited long-term longitudinal studies that accounted for key aspects

of early childhood development. To fill this gap, the present study investigated whether execu-

tive control (EC) in preschool influences PCRQ in adolescence, either increasing or decreasing

risk for adolescent substance use.

POSITIVE PCRQ AND SUBSTANCE USE

Parental support, praise, and displays of affection have been associated with fewer risk behav-

iors and more healthy behaviors in adolescents. From the perspective of the social developmen-

tal model (Catalano & Hawkins, 1996), supportive and affectionate parenting leads to stronger

parent–child bonding that, in turn, results in children internalizing parental prosocial beliefs

and standards that reduce involvement in antisocial and risk behaviors such as alcohol, nico-

tine, or marijuana use. Further, children with supportive parents may be more likely to avoid

using substances because engaging in substance use behaviors can harm valued emotional

bonds in the family (see Carver et al., 2017). Also, strong bonds and connectedness in the

parent–child relationship tend to protect against antisocial behavior because adolescents who

feel more connected to their parents tend to spend more time at home and are mor e receptive of

their advice (Fosco & LoBraico, 2019). A series of studies supports the notion that youth with

parents who show support and affection are less likely to use substances. Close, warm, and

affectionate relationships between adolescents and parents have been associated with less sub-

stance use (i.e., smokeless tobacco, cigarettes, alcohol, inhalants, and cannabis) in a sample of

3514 FAMILY RELATIONS