BONDING IN A HIGH-RISK AND A GENERAL SAMPLE OF CHILDREN - COMPARISON OF MEASURES OF ATTACHMENT AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO SMOKING AND DRINKING

Bonding in parent, peer, and school domains were compared in a general sample of children and a sample of children of methadone-treated pare nts. Bivariate comparisons revealed that children of methadone-treated parents had lower SES, and were significantly more likely to smoke ci garettes but not more likely to drink alcohol. Several measures of att achment were significant different between the two samples across pare nt peer, and school domains. Multivariate analyses indicated that the children of methadone-treated parents were more likely to smoke, even after accounting for the effects of demographic and attachment variabl es. For drinking sample membership was not found to be significant. At tachment to school decreased the odds of both smoking and drinking in both samples. Peer attachment had no effect on the odds of smoking ini tiation; however, loyalty to best friend did predict increased odds of drinking initiation.