African American Adolescents' Interactions with Their Substance-using Mothers

Understanding the interactions that African American youth have with their substance-using mothers is important because of the increased likelihood that these youth depend on their mothers as their primary providers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 urban-dwelling, African American adolescents with substance-using mothers to explore the nature of their interactions. Youth report maternal influence on their attitudes in general and toward child-rearing and peer group affiliations. Communication between the dyads is often strained and youth assume roles of sibling protector and maternal confidant. Youth have supportive adults in their lives but their engagement with these supports is also shaped by maternal substance use. Implications for how direct practice with youth might address these outcomes are discussed.