Difficult Temperament, Parental Relationships, and Adolescent Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms

Abstract

ABSTRACT Difficult temperament has been found to be related to substance use disorders in adolescents. This study tested the hypothesis that the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship mediates the association between difficult temperament and alcohol use disorder symptoms. The sample consisted of 438 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, and their mothers. Structured diagnostic interviews were used to assess alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms. A series of multiple regression analyses were performed to test this mediational model separately for females and males. For both genders, difficult temperament was a significant predictor of AUD symptoms, and was negatively related to parent-adolescent relationship quality. For males, the relationship between difficult temperament and AUD symptoms was mediated by parent-adolescent relationship quality. For females, however, difficult temperament and parent adolescent relationship quality independently predicted the adolescents' AUD symptoms. These results suggest that alcohol abuse prevention and treatment programs should consider the role of basic temperamental characteristics in pathological drinking, and the possibility that parent-adolescent relationship quality may be a key point of intervention.