The impact of stepfamily relationship quality on emerging adult non-medical use of prescription drugs

Keywords

Emerging adults, non-medical use of prescription drugs, stepfamily relationships

Abstract

Background: Emerging adults aged 18 to 25 are most at-risk for non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). While the literature dedicated to emerging-adult NMUPD has explored risk and protective factors at an individual level, much less is known regarding how interpersonal and familial factors relate to NMUPD. Because interpersonal bonds can have a significant impact on behavior, familial factors may be important predictors of NMUPD among emerging adults. Objectives: Inasmuch as growing up in a stepfamily is increasingly common for children, this study aimed to determine whether perceived stepfamily quality within three stepfamily subsystems – child-biological parent, child-stepparent, and child-stepsibling – decreased the likelihood of NMUPD in emerging adulthood. Methods: Data came from the Stepfamily Experiences Project (STEP), a retrospective survey examining emerging adults’ perceptions of their stepfamily life in 2013. A national quota sampling strategy was used, and the final sample consisted of 902 emerging adults (54.1% female). A structural equation model was constructed, with regression paths from each latent construct predicting the ordinal dependent variable, NMUPD. Results: Increased retrospective biological parent relationship quality in childhood significantly decreased the likelihood of intensifying NMUPD in emerging adulthood (e.g. moving from the “None” category to the “Once a month or less” category). However, stepparent and stepsibling relationship quality did not influence NMUPD. Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of the preservation of the child-biological parent relationship within a stepfamily context, and encourage further research on the impact familial systems and subsystems may have on NMUPD.

Original Publication Citation

Ward, K. P., Dennis, C. B., & Limb, G. E. (2018). The impact of stepfamily relationship quality on emerging adult non-medical use of prescription drugs. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 44(4), 463-471. DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2017.1405010

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2017-12-20

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5910

Publisher

the American journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Social Work

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

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