Adolescents are more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol if they live in which household arrangement?

Adolescents are more likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol if they live in which household arrangement?

• A. cohabitating parents
• B. grandparents
• C. homosexual parents
• D. single parents

Answer: (A)

Adolescent substance use is strongly influenced by family structure because it affects supervision, consistency of rules, and parental modeling. In households where two parents are living together but not married (cohabiting), there can be more instability and fewer consistently enforced expectations than in a stable married two-parent home. This can reduce parental monitoring and increase opportunities for teens to experiment with smoking and alcohol, especially if substance-use behaviors are normalized within the household. So, living with cohabitating parents is the arrangement most associated with higher teen smoking and drinking in this context.

Adolescent substance use is strongly influenced by family structure because it affects supervision, consistency of rules, and parental modeling. In households where two parents are living together but not married (cohabiting), there can be more instability and fewer consistently enforced expectations than in a stable married two-parent home. This can reduce parental monitoring and increase opportunities for teens to experiment with smoking and alcohol, especially if substance-use behaviors are normalized within the household. So, living with cohabitating parents is the arrangement most associated with higher teen smoking and drinking in this context.