Developmental pathways from parental substance use to childhood academic achievement.

This cross-sectional study examined the pathways to childhood academic achievement in 209 African American and Puerto Rican children and their mothers. There were three pathways to childhood academic achievement: (a) the mother-child relationship and the child's personality mediated between low parental substance use and childhood academic achievement; (b) the child's personality mediated between high parental education and childhood academic achievement; and (c) there was a direct relationship between the child's gender and childhood academic achievement. Policy and clinical implications suggest the importance of increasing educational opportunities for all parents by providing substance use treatment and self-esteem workshops.