The influence of family relationships on marijuana use among a sample of inner city youths

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Abstract
This study of the etiology of drug use explores the influence of family relationship variables (parental support) on self-identification, and alcohol and marijuana use of 258 inner-city, male adolescents. A latent variable structural model of the effect of parental support on alcohol and drug use, mediated by self-identification, was estimated using a maximum likelihood solution. Results support the adequacy of the model. Perceived family support and self-identification were significantly related to reported alcohol and marijuana use. In addition, alcohol consumption functions as a mediator variable and affects the relationship for both perceived family support and self-identification with marijuana use. Ethnic background, Black versus Puerto Rican, did not have a direct effect on these variables. Finally, the model suggests a direct relationship between youths'' use of alcohol and marijuana. It was hypothesized that this relationship is a product of environmental and socio-cultural contexts wherein a variety of illicit drug-taking is available, encouraged, and rewarded. The discussion examines the implications of the results for the influence of perceived family suppost and the quality of youth-family relationships for researchers. The role of alcohol use as a mediating variable is also discussed.