Description

The Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) was a long-term study aimed at understanding various social, behavioral, and health outcomes in children and adolescents. A subset of this study focused on Parental Attitudes Toward Drug Use (PATDU), examining parents’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors concerning drug use by their children. The study collected data over time to analyze how these attitudes impacted children’s development and drug use behavior.

Analysis and Use of Data

Purpose of the PATDU Data: The PATDU dataset was collected to explore the relationship between parental attitudes toward drug use and subsequent drug-related behaviors in their children. Researchers could use this data to understand patterns of drug use, how early attitudes or interventions by parents might prevent or exacerbate drug use, and the role of family influence in adolescent decision-making concerning drugs.
Data Variables: The dataset includes various variables, such as parental attitudes toward different drugs (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, etc.), parenting styles, socio-demographic factors (age, race, education), family dynamics, and children’s reported drug use.
Types of Analysis:
Descriptive Analysis: This involves summarizing the data by calculating means, medians, frequencies, or standard deviations of key variables such as parental disapproval of drug use or children’s reported drug use rates.
Regression Analysis: To assess the impact of parental attitudes on children’s drug use, researchers might conduct regression analysis, controlling for confounding factors like socioeconomic status, peer influence, or neighborhood environment.
Longitudinal Analysis: Since the SSDP followed participants over time, longitudinal data analysis techniques like growth curve modeling or survival analysis could be used to track how parental attitudes influence drug use trajectories.
Applications: Policymakers and intervention programs can use the insights from this data to design effective prevention programs targeting parental education, improve family communication around drug use, and enhance early detection of at-risk youth.

Goal

The primary goal of studying parental attitudes toward drug use through the PATDU dataset is to:
Understand how parental attitudes and family factors contribute to the onset and development of drug use in adolescents.
Explore preventive measures and family-based interventions that could reduce adolescent drug abuse.
Develop evidence-based recommendations for parenting programs that address drug use concerns early in a child’s development.

Calibration

Calibration in this context refers to the adjustment of models or frameworks developed from the data to improve the accuracy of predictions or interventions. For example, if researchers develop a model predicting adolescent drug use based on parental attitudes, they may calibrate this model using different datasets or populations to ensure its validity and generalizability. Calibration can help in fine-tuning intervention programs or in making more precise predictions about which family environments are more susceptible to drug-related issues.

Bibliography

Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 64–105.
This paper provides a comprehensive overview of risk and protective factors for drug use, including family-based influences such as parental attitudes.
Baumrind, D. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance use. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 11(1), 56–95.
Discusses how different parenting styles (authoritarian, permissive, authoritative) influence children’s competence and their risk for substance use.
Fleming, C. B., Catalano, R. F., Oxford, M. L., & Harachi, T. W. (2002). A test of the generalizability of the Social Development Model across gender and ethnicity for predicting problem behavior in adolescence. Prevention Science, 3(3), 185–199.
Explores how parental attitudes and family dynamics predict adolescent behavior, with a focus on drug use prevention.
Kosterman, R., Hawkins, J. D., Guo, J., Catalano, R. F., & Abbott, R. D. (2000). The dynamics of alcohol and marijuana initiation: Patterns and predictors of first use in adolescence. American Journal of Public Health, 90(3), 360–366.
Provides detailed analysis on how parental and peer influences shape the initiation of alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence.
Oxford, M. L., Harachi, T. W., Catalano, R. F., & Abbott, R. D. (2001). Preadolescent predictors of substance initiation: A test of both the direct and mediated effect of family social control factors on deviant peer associations and substance initiation. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 27(4), 599–616.
This study highlights the role of family controls, including parental attitudes, in delaying or preventing substance initiation.