Moderation of the association between parent and adolescent cigarette smoking by selected sociodemographic variables.

This study examines variation in the associations between cigarette smoking by mother or father and adolescent cigarette smoking by selected sociodemographic characteristics. The study data are from nationally representative samples of adolescents aged 12 to 17 living with their mothers (n=4734) and/or fathers (n=3176). Mother cigarette smoking was more strongly associated with cigarette smoking by daughters than sons. The association between father cigarette smoking and adolescent cigarette smoking did not vary by adolescent gender. The association between mother or father cigarette smoking and adolescent cigarette smoking did not vary by parent's education, family structure, or adolescent age or race/ethnicity.

The impact of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence surveillance initiatives.

Child maltreatment (CM) and intimate partner violence (IPV) take a tremendous toll on communities around the world. Despite the impact of CM and IPV, data on their incidence are drawn from disparate sources of varying quality. To improve data resources in these areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention funded state-based IPV and CM surveillance activities in nine states between 1994 and 2005. This article describes reported outcomes of these surveillance programmes; assesses factors affecting their sustainability; and provides recommendations for similar programmes through document review and interviews with state representatives. Findings indicate that states achieved outcomes with these surveillance initiatives; however, states noted concerns with sustaining systems because of a lack of resources and ineffective collaborations. Highlighted in this article are several lessons that other countries can learn from the experiences of these states in testing CM and IPV surveillance systems.

Moderation and mediation in the relationship between mothers' or fathers' serious psychological distress and adolescent substance use: findings from a national sample.

PURPOSE: This study estimated percentages of adolescents living with a mother or father with serious psychological distress (SPD), and examined moderation and mediation of the relationships between mother or father SPD and adolescent substance use. METHODS: We analyzed data from nationally representative samples of adolescents interviewed with their mothers (n = 4734) and fathers (n = 3176) in the combined 2002 and 2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs). RESULTS: An estimated 4.1% of adolescents living with their father had a father with SPD during the past year, and 11.5% of adolescents living with their mother had a mother with SPD during this time period. A positive association was found between mothers' SPD and adolescent binge drinking (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.01-2.21), but no association was found between fathers' SPD and adolescent binge drinking. Mothers' SPD was associated with increased risk of binge drinking among adolescents aged 14-15 years (OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.38-4.60), and fathers' SPD was associated with lowered risk of binge drinking among black adolescents (OR = .08, 95% CI = .01-.79). A positive association was found between mothers' SPD and adolescent illicit drug use (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.08-2.23), but no association was found between fathers' SPD and adolescent illicit drug use. Mothers' SPD was associated with increased risk of illicit drug use among female adolescents (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.24-3.70) and among adolescents of white ethnicity (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.19, 2.68). Parental involvement partially mediated the relationship between mothers' SPD and daughters' illicit drug use; mothers' SPD was associated with lower levels of parental involvement, which in turn were associated with an increased probability of daughters' illicit drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, parents' SPD is associated differentially with adolescent substance use depending on the gender of parent and adolescent, adolescent age, race/ethnicity, and substance used. Parental involvement appears to be one mechanism through which mothers' SPD influences daughters' illicit drug use. Future research should further consider the interindividual effects of parents' SPD and associated parenting behaviors on adolescent risk behaviors.