Young Adult Disclosure to Parents: Developmental Trajectories and Links to Substance Use in the United States

Abstract

This study documented patterns of disclosure to parents from ages 18 to 27, with attention to topics concerning adult role transitions that are developmentally salient (i.e., education plans, job plans, family plans, and work-family conflict), and examined their links with young adult binge drinking and cannabis use. Data were provided by the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 2875; 51% female; 54% attended college; 41% non-Hispanic Black; 46% non-Hispanic White), a nationally representative survey conducted in the United States. Latent growth curve models suggested general declines in disclosure about education plans, jobs plans, and work-family conflicts, whereas disclosure about family plans increased for sons and remained stable for daughters. Time-varying covariates models suggested that greater disclosure, especially in the context of close mother-son relationships, predicted contemporaneous downward deviations from overall trajectories of substance use across young adulthood. Findings highlight the importance of leveraging youth-initiated communication to reduce substance use.