Parental awareness of adolescent substance use.

Parental awareness of adolescent substance use was investigated in a high school sample of 985 adolescents and their parents. Only 39% of parents were aware their adolescent used tobacco, only 34% were aware of alcohol use, and only 11% were aware of illicit drug use. There were no variables that differentiated aware from unaware parents for all substances. Greater parental awareness of alcohol and tobacco use occurred with older adolescents. High adolescent ratings of family communication combined with low parental ratings of family communication were also associated with greater parental awareness of alcohol and tobacco use. Better school grades predicted greater awareness of alcohol and illicit drug use. Single parents and blended families were more aware of tobacco and illicit drug use.