Parent Educational Attainment and Substance Use at Emerging Adulthood: Moderating Effects of Race and Socioeconomic Status of the Emerging Adult

Background: According to the most recent report from Monitoring the Future: National survey results on drug use, young adults exhibited peak lifetime levels of substance use. Substance use prevalence estimates were higher among young adults age between 19-30 compared to the high school seniors (age 18) and older adults age 31 and older in 2016. Substance use generally increased after high school, through at least the late-20s. There are an estimated 30.6 million emerging adults living in the United States, and 34.5% of them are known to have serious problems with substances that often require clinical treatments. Identifying factors and mechanisms that influence unhealthy substance use behaviors of emerging adults is critical for policy makers and future interventions. The current study examines following research questions: a. Does childhood and adolescent socioeconomic status effect substance use patterns at emerging adulthood?; b. Is the association between childhood socioeconomic status and substance use behavior at emerging adulthood differ by race?; and c. Is the association between childhood socioeconomic status and substance use behavior at emerging adulthood moderated by emerging adults’ socioeconomic status?

Methods: This study used Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) 2015 Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS) data. The PSID is a longitudinal survey of U.S. residents and their families conducted every 2 years. The TAS data started in 2005 and captures data on the developmental pathways and outcomes of children who participated in the 1997 Child Development Supplement (CDS) as they transition into young adulthood. To examine the research questions, a Baron and Kenny moderation analysis was conducted to assess if race and socioeconomic status of emerging adults moderate the relationship between parent education level and substance use during emerging adulthood.

Results: An increase in years of parent education (expressed in years) was associated with an increase in the odds of alcohol use with an odds ratio of 1.112, 95% CI [1.086, 1.139], Wald χ² (1) = 76.839, p < .001. The binomial logistic regression model to predict any substance use (other than alcohol) using parent education as an independent variable was also statistically significant, χ²(1) = 11.423, p < .001. The model explained 16.0% (Nagelkerke R²) of the variance in substance use and correctly classified 91.4% of cases. All six multinomial logistic models testing race moderation and emerging adult income moderation effects indicated no moderation effects for both race and emerging adult income.  

Conclusions and Implications: According to the results, childhood and adolescent socioeconomic status measured by parent education level positively affects substance use at emerging adulthood. However, there were no moderating effects of race and emerging adult socioeconomic status for this association. Socioeconomic status is a complex construct that can be measured in variety of ways. Future follow up studies should explore the present research questions using diverse measures of socioeconomic status.