Further, although we found similarities between racial groups in the relationship of parenting style and not engaging in HED among adolescents, differences between the racial subgroups emerged when we considered only those youth who reported HED. For example, although permissive and authoritarian parenting styles were not significantly associated with level of HED at age 12 years for Caucasian children, these parenting styles were associated with greater level of HED at age 12 years for African American children as compared with balanced parenting. Hence, although authoritarian parenting was protective for African American children with respect to not engaging in HED at age 12 years, authoritarian parenting was a risk factor for greater level of HED at age 12 years among African American youth who reported HED. This finding reflects the way in which parenting styles during early adolescence can influence children’s behavior at different stages of their development. Having parents who use a strict and highly controlling parent style when children are young can potentially protect children from engaging in HED as well as other problem behaviors. However, once children engage
