Parental Influences on Adolescent Major Depressive Symptoms and Marijuana Use

Adolescent depression is associated with many negative outcomes, including elevated marijuana use. Although parental influences on adolescent depressive symptoms and marijuana use have been examined independently, their interrelation remains understudied. The current research investigates the hypothesis that lower levels of parental monitoring and warmth are inversely associated with adolescent depressive symptoms and marijuana use. A path analytic approach (N = 12,115) on data from a representative US sample indicated depressive symptoms had an indirect effect on the relationship between parental warmth (p < .001), monitoring (p = .013), and adolescent marijuana use. Exploring relationships grouped by respondents' age (12-14 and 15-17 years, respectively) revealed minor differences. Depressive symptoms had significant indirect effects on parental warmth and marijuana use (both p < .001) and on parental monitoring and marijuana use (both p < .05). Parental influences appear to play an important role in marijuana use among adolescents with depressive symptoms.