Parenting Practices among Biological Mothers of Drug-Involved Truant Youths: A Latent Profile Analysis

Research has confirmed the continuing influence of parents in the lives of children through adulthood. Although peer influence on youth attitudes, values, and behavior increases as they enter adolescence, parent influence remains a significant aspect of their lives. Relatively little is known about parenting practices, which are critical elements in the development of parenting styles, especially among parents of drug-involved truant youths (DITY). Latent profile analysis of Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) data on parent practices among 190 biological mothers of DITY involved in an ongoing, prospective intervention study identified three distinct parent practice profiles: (a) low involvement and low positive parenting, (b) high involvement and positive parenting, and a low use of corporal punishment, and (c) the use of corporal punishment. Forty percent of mothers in this National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded study report parenting practices that increase the risk of poor youth developmental outcomes. Analyses of collateral data supported the usefulness of the indicated profiles. The important implications of these findings for intervention services are discussed.