In summary, the present study demonstrates that, among male adolescents, easy mother-son communication was a protective factor for smoking, whereas easy father-son communication was a protective factor for marijuana use. Contrary to expectations, we did not find support for the notion that interpersonal and family factors such as parent-child communication would benefit females but not males. This study adds to the current literature by indicating gender-specific variations in the association between parent-child communication and adolescent substance use. The present study also suggests the value of testing gender-matching hypotheses and underscores its potential implications on prevention and intervention research. Given the narrowing gender gap in substance use among young people, future studies should test gender-specific hypotheses when examining social influences on adolescent substance use.
