Parental Marital Conflict and Tobacco and Alcohol Use among Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

To explore the mediating effect of school bonding on the relationship between parental marital conflict and tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents, and the moderating role of sensation seeking in this mediating process.A total of 3,176 Chinese middle school students completed questionnaires regarding children’s perception of interparental conflict, school bonding, sensation seeking, tobacco use, and alcohol use. The findings revealed that: (1) School bonding significantly mediated the relationship between parental marital conflict and tobacco use among adolescents; (2) School bonding significantly mediated the relationship between parental marital conflict and alcohol use among adolescents; (3) Sensation seeking significantly moderated the mediating process, “parental marital conflict→school bonding→tobacco use.” More specifically, the mediating role of parental marital conflict was strengthened by reducing adolescents’ school bonding, which was significant for adolescents with high sensation seeking but not for adolescents with low sensation seeking.