Similar to girls, maternal and paternal problem drinking were negatively related to family cohesion for boys (β = -.11, p < .05; β = -.15, p < .01, respectively). Family cohesion, in turn, was negatively related to adolescent rule breaking (β = -.54, p < .001) and aggressive behavior (β = -.37, p < .05). Paternal problem drinking was negatively related to adolescent-father communication as well (β = -.21, p < .001). However, adolescent-father communication did not predict any of the externalizing outcomes. Sobel test results suggested that, for boys, family cohesion mediated the relationship between paternal problem drinking and rule breaking (c.r. = 2.27, p < .05).
