Influences of Parental and Best Friends' Smoking and Drinking on Adolescent Use: A Longitudinal Study¹

Many studies have dealt with the relative impact of parents and peers on adolescent substance use. However, only a few studies have explored the role of adolescents themselves in social relationships. Homogeneity in behavioral patterns within friendships can also be generated by selective association. Acknowledgment of selection processes might shed new light on the debate on the influences of parents and friends. This paper examines the impact of parental and best friends' smoking and drinking on adolescents' use, using data ( N = 1,063) from a 3‐wave, 5‐year longitudinal study. The results show that friends' smoking did not affect adolescent smoking over time. Only in early adolescence did friends' drinking exert an influence on subjects' alcohol use. On the other hand, parental use had a small but significant impact on their offspring. Furthermore, support was found for processes of selective association.