Dodge and colleagues (2009) have also evaluated a developmental cascade model of adolescent substance use onset based on a social learning theory formulation. This model originates with problems in early parenting that are promoted by adverse sociocultural contexts and difficult child characteristics that present challenges to parenting. Through these difficulties in early parenting, early behavior problems emerge. As children develop relationships with peers, their behavior problems lead to peer rejection, which further escalates their conduct problems. In turn, parenting these children is progressively more challenging, and parents have difficulty monitoring their child’s interactions with peers, who increasingly are more deviant, given the larger peer group social rejection they experience. Consequently, deviant peer models provide exposure to substances, and the vulnerable child is initiated into substance involvement.
