Racial/ethnic variations in the influence of parental attachment on adolescent substance abuse.

This article examines whether the influence of parental attachment on adolescent substance abuse differs by race/ethnicity. We hypothesized that the effect of parental attachment would be stronger for Asian Americans than for other adolescents. Using data from the 2005 Fairfax County Communities That Care survey (N = 7,589), we found no support for our hypothesis. Results suggest that the effect of parental attachment on self-reported substance abuse differs dramatically by the race/ethnicity of the adolescent. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.