Having a Family Member in Prison Linked to Earlier and More Frequent Substance Use in Teens
Adolescents with incarcerated family members had 63% higher odds of early cannabis initiation and 71% higher odds of current use, beyond other adverse childhood experiences.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Using coarsened exact matching, family incarceration was associated with higher odds of early cannabis initiation (OR=1.63), past 30-day cannabis (OR=1.71), early alcohol initiation (OR=2.54), current alcohol (OR=2.11), and nicotine (OR=1.72).
Key Numbers
Early cannabis: OR=1.63 (1.03-2.59). Current cannabis: OR=1.71 (1.17-2.48). Early alcohol: OR=2.54 (1.64-3.90). Current alcohol: OR=2.11 (1.50-2.94). Nicotine: OR=1.72 (1.21-2.45).
How They Did This
Baseline survey of high school students. Coarsened exact matching balanced groups on other ACEs, demographics, and SES.
Why This Research Matters
Family incarceration affects millions of children disproportionately in communities of color. This isolates its unique contribution to substance use beyond other adversities.
The Bigger Picture
Mass incarceration creates generational ripple effects. Understanding substance use consequences can inform criminal justice reform and youth prevention.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional baseline. Self-reported. Cannot determine which family member or duration. Matching cannot eliminate all confounding.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would family support programs during incarceration reduce youth substance use?
- ?Does type or duration of incarceration matter?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 71% higher odds of current cannabis use with family incarceration
- Evidence Grade:
- Well-matched analysis isolating family incarceration, but cross-sectional.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study
- Original Title:
- Family incarceration and adolescent nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use: A coarsened exact matching approach.
- Published In:
- Addictive behaviors, 164, 108270 (2025)
- Authors:
- Forster, Myriam(3), Shaverdi, Abnous, Zhang, Xiao, Toledo-Corral, Claudia M, Grigsby, Timothy J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06477
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
How is family incarceration different from other childhood traumas?
This study used matching to show it has an independent effect on substance use beyond what other traumas explain.
Which substances were most affected?
Early alcohol initiation had the strongest association (2.54x odds), followed by current alcohol (2.11x), nicotine (1.72x), current cannabis (1.71x), and early cannabis (1.63x).
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06477APA
Forster, Myriam; Shaverdi, Abnous; Zhang, Xiao; Toledo-Corral, Claudia M; Grigsby, Timothy J. (2025). Family incarceration and adolescent nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use: A coarsened exact matching approach.. Addictive behaviors, 164, 108270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108270
MLA
Forster, Myriam, et al. "Family incarceration and adolescent nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis use: A coarsened exact matching approach.." Addictive behaviors, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108270
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Family incarceration and adolescent nicotine, alcohol, and c..." RTHC-06477. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/forster-2025-family-incarceration-and-adolescent
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.