35-Year-Old Parents Do Not Approve of 17-Year-Olds’ Cigarette, Marijuana, or Alcohol Use: U.S. National Data 1993–2018

Purpose: Parents’ attitudes about adolescent substance use likely guide their parenting behaviors. This study documents prevalence of parents’ disapproval of adolescent substance use and characteristics associated with disapproval. Methods: Survey data from national samples of 35-year-old parents from the U.S. Monitoring the Future study were collected 1993–2018. Multivariable logistic regression examined predictors of disapproving attitudes about substance use by a hypothetical 17-year-old child, including occasional marijuana use or drunkenness, and regular cigarette, marijuana, or alcohol use. Results: Across all cohorts, rates of disapproving attitudes ranged from 93.7% disapproving of getting drunk occasionally to 97.2% disapproving of regular cigarette use, with some erosion in disapproval for some substances across cohorts. Parents’ own recent abstinence from substance use predicted greater odds of disapproval. Conclusions: The overwhelming majority of 35-year-old parents disapprove of adolescent substance use. Prevention and public health messaging can support parenting by sharing this important information.