? Marijuana is the most used illicit substance by adolescents receiving substance abuse treatment, yet there is a dearth of research on adolescents seeking treatment for marijuana abuse or dependence. Research has shown that externalizing problems are frequently outcomes. Furthermore, maladaptive parenting and deviant peer associations are common risk factors for the development and maintenance of substance abuse and externalizing problems in adolescence. However, the specific relations between these common risk factors, substance abuse, and externalizing behavior problems are not well understood.
The aims of the proposed research are to identify the influence of specific positive and negative parenting practices and antisocial peer associations on substance abuse severity and externalizing problems among adolescents seeking treatment for marijuana abuse or dependence. A series of nested path models will be used to test the specificity of the direct and indirect influence between these predictors and adolescent outcomes. These models will control for the correlations among the predictor and outcome variables, in order to determine the independent effects of the predictor variables on both adolescent outcomes. Path analysis will also be used to test a multi-informant model in order to yield findings that are generalizable across informants and more likely to reflect the true relations among the proposed variables to be studied. The knowledge gained from the proposed research will help to develop a model to be tested using longitudinal treatment outcome data, as well as informing the development and refinement of treatments for adolescent marijuana abuse. ? ? ? ?
