Despite these limitations, this study demonstrates that adolescents reside in diverse family forms which are uniquely associated with risk behaviors. Adolescents in cohabiting stepfamilies exhibit exceptionally high levels of smoking, drinking, or both of these risk behaviors. In contrast, adolescents in two biological married parent families are least likely to smoke, drink, or both, demonstrating that not all two parent families are alike. Since risk behaviors often co-occur and are linked with other negative outcomes (Igra & Irwin, 1996), this study's findings are suggestive of the possibly troubling consequences of cohabiting stepfamilies as a family form for adolescents. Family structure is indicative of a unique set of family processes that impinge on adolescent risk behaviors, namely maternal socialization and modeling, two key aspects of the family environment. For this reason, future studies should distinguish among adolescents residing in two biological married parent, married stepfamilies, single-parent families, and cohabiting stepfamilies.
