SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Parenting Styles Connection with Substance Abuse

Caroline Elizabeth Jacobs
The University of Memphis

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Parenting Styles Connection with Substance Abuse

Parenting is one of the most difficult challenges an individual could take on in their life.
To some it may be an easy journey but for many figuring out how to raise your child can be very
stressful. Why is it so stressful? It is because the world is place where many opportunities,
struggles, and successes are taken on each day by individuals. Every day brings on something
new that we have to face in order to have organization, direction, and being successful. Now, just
about everyone on this earth wants a chance to be able to achieve their goals and be supported
along in their journey of lie. In some cases, achieving individual goals and having the support
needed can be impossible to retrieve from people who are counted on the most. When I started to
think of a topic for my paper, I chose something that was dear to my because I have seen many
parenting styles used on children that either the outcome of the child turned out to be positive
and negative. Also, I have seen a child taken out of negative environment and placed in a
positive environment and has had made many improvements. A lot of characteristics can affect
how a parent raises their child such substance and drug abuse. Parenting styles can be affected by
drug and substance abuse, the child will start to be affected, and outcomes for the parent and
child can have negative outcome.
Winsor, Murrel, & Magun-Jackson (1983) refer that parenting styles are ways that
parents raise their children under different circumstances that can affect the childs development
throughout their life in either a positive or negative outcome. Living around the Memphis area,
the parenting styles that are most observable in this are permissive and neglectful. Permissive
parenting involves a high responsiveness which means that the parents are supportive, but they
are low in the demandingness category which means that the parent does not take on the
responsibility of their childs actions (Winsor, Murrel, & Magun-Jackson 1983). Another

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parenting style is neglectful. A neglectful parent is completely absent from the childs life. This
means the parent is low not only in responsiveness but also low in demandingness (Winsor,
Murrel, & Magun-Jackson 1983). These parenting styles are not the recommended styles to raise
children. It can be known that certain parenting styles such as an authoritative and authoritarian
have more control over their children and are less likely to not take part into risky situations
(Montgomery & Craig 2008).
Substance abuse means drugs are used illegally and are consistently in use in everyday
life. The connection between the permissive and neglectful parenting styles with substance abuse
and also alcohol abuse can have a huge impact on a childs life in many characteristics with most
of them being negative. The parent is usually absent in that childs life but that does not mean
that they are not there physically. Parents who abuse drugs and alcohol will make a decision that
getting high or drunk is more important in being in their childs life. The child is affected by this
because they have no guidance in the life on how to be successful or have positive outcome.
When Montgomery & Craig (2008) looked into parenting styles, they noticed that certain
drug uses were categorized with different types of drugs such cannabis (marijuana), ecstasy,
polymorph, and cocaine users. It was organized by parenting styles having a specific drug that
the parent will use. One study that Montgomery & Craig (2008) did was individual drugs and
categorized it with a parenting style which was either permissive or neglectful were used the
most. It was also interesting that out of the four parenting styles that permissive and neglectful
had the highest rate in cannabis use (Montgomery & Craig 2008). Montgomery & Craig (2008)
focused on using independent variables who were categorized as individuals who have abused
drugs from their first experience along with their lifetime relationship with drugs. The
participants of this study were college students who were divided up according to the way the

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

felt as they were parented (Montgomery & Craig 2008). There were 233 participants and were
divided up between female and male with the drug (Montgomery & Craig 2008). They measured
warmth and control which is another word for demandingness and responsiveness. Most the
students being parented under permissive and neglectful were also open to giving background
information for this study to happen. Montgomery & Craig (2008) found that parental control
was the most successful variable to measure the data. Montgomery & Craig (2008) found that
permissive was in third place and neglectful was in fourth place for warmth and control. The
others parenting styles were authoritative (first place) then authoritarian (second place).
Montgomery & Craig (2008) also found that parents who use cocaine as their choice of drug are
categorized as neglectful. Alcohol that is abuse by parents are most likely to be known as
permissive (Montgomery & Craig 2008). Permissive parents who use alcohol are usually in their
childs life when they are not under the influence. These parents can be apologetic to their kids
and remind them they are going to change their alcohol abusive ways, yet most of the do not
succeed. Alcohol abuse can cause other abuses to happen such as physical, emotional and
mental. They blame their personal problems on their children for why bad situations are
happening to them. This is what causes them to drink. Ecstasy, also known MDMA, is
believed to be a drug that makes users becomes a completely different person as in more a loving
person says yet it was also found that ecstasy and polydrug were the lowest in parental warmth
(Montgomery & Craig 2008). Montgomery & Craig (2008) found in the results that the
consequence of drug abuse parental warmth and control were a major factor in the developmet of
the child. When Montgomery & Craig (2008) tried find out the length of time and constant use of
alcohol and tobacco, they were only able to find current use because people who use tobacco and
alcohol have a better chance that they have used it for their lifetime. They were able find out how

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

much alcohol was consumed and how many cigarettes and packs were smoked a day and week
(Montgomery & Craig 2008). This study was successful despite of some limited resources such
as urine and samples and hair extracts, they were able to gather information from different
variables for future research dealing with peer and parenting relationships (warmth and control)
along with drug abuse (Montgomery & Craig 2008). One of the best ways for individuals to
reduce the risk of using drugs or at least to get the help that is needed is to attend prevention and
AA classes (Montgomery & Craig 2008). Montgomery & Craig (2008) suggests that prevention
and AA classes are worth going to because they focus on what is best for the individual which in
this case would be parental warmth and control.
Another connection of parenting styles with substances has to do weapons being
presented in a school setting. On the news, every so often you will see a child or teenager
carrying some sort of weapon in their backpack and the parents seem to do have no idea how it
got there in the first place. Accidents do happen, but one of the only ways a child would bring a
weapon to school would be because they have been exposed to it at home. Depending how old
the child or teenager is will predict their consequence that is if they even receive a consequence
for their action. Corvo & Williams (2000) conducted a study where they focused on substance
abuse and parenting styles had an effect on children such as carrying weapons to school and the
use of drugs and alcohol. The study was focused on school environments and disruptive behavior
of students (Corvo & Williams 2000). Weapons are starting to become a big problem with
children and teenagers in not only schools but in also neighborhoods where they are mostly
exposed to weapons (Corvo & Williams 2000). Corvo & Williams (2000) suggests that even
though educators, social workers, and other have been trying to understanding why disruptive
behaviors have an effect on children, we have try to find the motivation for carrying weapons to

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

school. Understanding why these actions happen will help understand these children more in a
more personal aspect (Corvo & Williams 2000). Also, this will help build better relationships
between workers and students in the school environment. This starts to help the understanding
the relationship of the parents and children (Corvo & Williams 2000). Corvo & Williams (2000)
suggest students who start to act out such as carrying weapons have experienced many times in
the home environment. The connection of carrying weapons and disruptive behavior is due
substance abuse in the home (Corvo & Williams 2000).
Disruptive behavior can cause a lot of problems in the school setting. The disruptive
behavior can turn into violence which turns into calling law enforcement into the school (Corvo
& Williams 2000). Yet, sometimes this does not come to a surprise to the child or teenager
because they have experienced their parent or guardian having the same consequences done to
them. There have been cases where school violence has turned deadly. Corvo & Williams (2000)
found that students who get into trouble due to violence and weapon possession usually are sent
to alternative school or transfer to different schools. Corvo & Williams (2000) conducted a study
in the Syracuse public schools of students who were sent to alternative schools as a result of a
violent act. Students who were sent to alternative school were caught with carrying weapons
such as box-cutters, knives, and BB guns; ones who were caught with the possession of a gun
were sent to juvenile detention (Corvo & Williams 2000). Corvo & Williams (2000) found that
students were exposed to violence acts because their parent or guardians have used drug
substances and have been incarcerated. Also, the majority of the students lived in a single mother
household where the father is not present in their life (Corvo & Williams 2000). Corvo &
Williams (2000) were able to find the understanding of why weapons were being brought to
schools due to this study.

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In conclusion, substance abuse and alcohol have a big impact in life especially if parents
or guardians are using. These studies were able to make an easier understanding of why
childrens outcomes can turn negative. The negative actions of parents or guardians come with
consequences that their children will soon pay for not to mention there are exposed to a harsh
environment where they are not able to develop and have a successful outcome. There are ways
for individuals to prevent and reduce the risks into getting these situations that can negatively
impact not only their life but their childs life.

References

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Corvo, K., & Williams, K. (2000). Substance abuse, parenting styles, and aggression: an
exploratory study of weapon carrying students. Journal Of Alcohol & Drug
Education, 46(1), 1-13 13p.
Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child
interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington, Handbook of child psychology: Vol.
4. Socialization, personality, and social development (4th ed.). New York: Wiley.
Montgomery, C., Fisk, J. E., & Craig, L. (2008). The effects of perceived parenting style on the
propensity for illicit drug use: the importance of parental warmth and control. Drug &
Alcohol Review, 27(6), 640-649.
Winsor, D., Murrell, V., & Magun-Jackson, S. (2015). Lifespan development: An educational
psychology perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson.