The Mediating Role of Delinquent Behaviors in the Relation between Authoritative Parenting and Adolescent Substance Use

Participants were 274 adolescents aged 12-17 years old who engaged in substance use. Significant mediational pathways from authoritative parenting to delinquent behaviors to substance use were found. A potential explanation for this finding involves the relationship between authoritative parenting and decreased externalizing problems, which often manifest themselves in delinquent behaviors.