Family and peer correlates of behavioral self-regulation in boys at risk for substance abuse

Behavioral self-regulation (BSR), defined herein as the degree to which one can control one's own activity and reactivity to environmental stimuli, ha s been posited to be salient to the onset of adolescent substance abuse. Th e goal of this study was to clarify particular family and peer correlates o f BSR in at-risk sons. Subjects were 10-through 12-year-old sons of substan ce-abusing fathers (high-average risk [HAR]; n = 176) and normal controls ( low-average risk [LAR]; n = 199). A BSR latent trait was developed using mu ltiple measures and multiple informants. Analyses included separate hierarc hical linear regressions for HAR and LAR groups. In the hierarchical linear model for HAR sons, family dysfunction and deviant peer affiliation were s ignificantly associated with BSR, whereas for LAR sons, only peer affiliati on was significantly associated with BSR. The above family and peer correla tes differed in proportions of variance explained for BSR in HAR and LAR so ns. These Endings extend previous studies by showing that, in a hierarchica l linear model, BSR in HAR sons is associated with specific interpersonal, family, and per factors. These findings suggest that empirical, theory-guid ed interventions to prevent worsening of BSR in HAR boys should address spe cific interpersonal family, and peer factors.