Parental cannabis use was the strongest predictor of teens using cannabis in Slovenia

Among 839 Slovenian students, parental cannabis use was the strongest predictor of youth cannabis use, followed by mothers' specific cannabis rules and authoritative maternal parenting style.

Kokotovič, Karmen Osterc et al.·International journal of environmental research and public health·2022·Moderate EvidenceCross-Sectional
RTHC-03974Cross SectionalModerate Evidence2022RETHINKTHC RESEARCH DATABASErethinkthc.com/research

Quick Facts

Study Type
Cross-Sectional
Evidence
Moderate Evidence
Sample
N=839

What This Study Found

Parental cannabis use was the strongest predictor of youth cannabis use. Strict maternal cannabis-specific rules and maternal authoritative parenting (vs. permissive) significantly reduced likelihood of use. The mother's role was particularly prominent across multiple predictors.

Key Numbers

839 students, ages 14-21. Strongest predictor: parental cannabis use. Protective factors: maternal authoritative parenting (vs. permissive), strict maternal cannabis-specific rules, parental non-use.

How They Did This

Cross-sectional survey of 839 secondary education students in Slovenia, ages 14-21. Logistic regression examined associations between parenting practices and lifetime cannabis use, controlling for demographics, socioeconomic status, education, health, and risk behaviors.

Why This Research Matters

Identifying that parents' own cannabis use is the single strongest predictor gives prevention programs a clear target. The importance of mothers' parenting style and cannabis-specific rules offers actionable intervention strategies.

The Bigger Picture

As cannabis legalization spreads, more parents will use cannabis openly. This study suggests that parental modeling is more influential than rules alone, creating a tension for parents who use cannabis but want their children to abstain.

What This Study Doesn't Tell Us

Cross-sectional design. Slovenian context may not generalize. Self-reported data. Did not distinguish between different levels of parental cannabis use. Cultural attitudes toward cannabis in Slovenia may differ from other countries.

Questions This Raises

  • ?Can parents who use cannabis effectively prevent their children from using?
  • ?Do cannabis-specific rules work differently in legalized vs. prohibitionist settings?

Trust & Context

Key Stat:
Parental cannabis use: strongest predictor of teen use
Evidence Grade:
Moderate-sized cross-sectional study with multivariate controls but limited by self-report and cross-sectional design.
Study Age:
Published in 2022.
Original Title:
Cannabis Use and Parenting Practices among Young People: The Impact of Parenting Styles, Parental Cannabis-Specific Rules, and Parental Cannabis Use.
Published In:
International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(13) (2022)
Database ID:
RTHC-03974

Evidence Hierarchy

Meta-Analysis / Systematic Review
Randomized Controlled Trial
Cohort / Case-Control
Cross-Sectional / ObservationalSnapshot without intervening
This study
Case Report / Animal Study

A snapshot of a population at one point in time.

What do these levels mean? →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does parents' cannabis use influence their kids?

In this study, parental cannabis use was the single strongest predictor of whether teenagers used cannabis, more influential than parenting style or specific rules.

What can parents do to prevent teen cannabis use?

Authoritative maternal parenting (warm but firm) and setting specific cannabis rules both significantly reduced the likelihood of teen cannabis use, though parental non-use was the most powerful factor.

Read More on RethinkTHC

Cite This Study

RTHC-03974·https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03974

APA

Kokotovič, Karmen Osterc; Pšunder, Mateja; Kirbiš, Andrej. (2022). Cannabis Use and Parenting Practices among Young People: The Impact of Parenting Styles, Parental Cannabis-Specific Rules, and Parental Cannabis Use.. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138080

MLA

Kokotovič, Karmen Osterc, et al. "Cannabis Use and Parenting Practices among Young People: The Impact of Parenting Styles, Parental Cannabis-Specific Rules, and Parental Cannabis Use.." International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138080

RethinkTHC

RethinkTHC Research Database. "Cannabis Use and Parenting Practices among Young People: The..." RTHC-03974. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/kokotovic-2022-cannabis-use-and-parenting

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.