The results of this study may have important implications for prevention and intervention efforts in substance use, particularly in light of the closing gender gap in substance use in younger cohorts. Guided by informed theoretical considerations, previous studies have correctly pointed out the urgency of addressing the relative increase in adolescent substance use among females (Amaro et al.,2001; Kumpfer, Smith, & Summerhays, 2008). However, our findings indicate that a focus on parent-child communication, an important interpersonal and family factor, may not have significant impact in prevention and intervention programs for female adolescents. Yet parent-child communication might be an important protective factor against smoking and marijuana use in male adolescents. Research is needed to extend our current investigation and identify the minimum level of parent-child communication and parenting practices which is sufficient to offer protective benefit to adolescents. Future research could examine the associations between a wider range of parental variables and substance use outcomes to determine those parental variables that are most protective for female adolescents.
