The present study advances understanding of the interplay between parent-child relationships quality, substance use and pubertal timing in the early adolescent years. Risk taking, including some forms of experimentation with substances, is regarded as a normal part of adolescence, representing developmentally appropriate behaviour (Spear, 2000). Yet, understanding the risk factors and mechanisms that lead some adolescents to earlier initiation and heavier use of substances is arguably central to reducing the existing public health burden presented by frequent and/or excessive drinking and smoking. These findings indicate that parent-child relationship quality and the use of cigarettes and alcohol are reciprocally linked over and above stability in these constructs across a twelve-month period. Poor parent-child relationship quality appears to be particularly problematic for levels of cigarette use among late maturing girls. Intervention and education programs may be enhanced by an awareness and understanding of the interplay between pubertal timing and substance use in exacerbating negative experiences of parent-child relationship quality in early adolescence.
