Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2025

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
A structural equation model test of affect, family warmth, and substance use among American Indian reservation-based
Randall C Swaim1, Meghan A Crabtree1, Madison R Egli1
1Department of Psychology, Colorado State University.
Objective:
This study examined moderating effects of family warmth on relationships between positive and negative affect and alcohol and cannabis use among American Indian (AI) youth.
Method:
Participants were 5,831 AI students (seventh-12th grade) surveyed during the 2021 and 2022 school years. Students completed measures of positive and negative affect, family warmth, and past year alcohol and cannabis use. Multigroup and latent moderated structural equation modeling models tested hypothesized main and interactive effects of hypothesized relationships and explored moderation by sex.
Results:
Family warmth and negative affect, but not positive affect, related significantly to alcohol use; all three predictors related significantly to cannabis use. Family warmth did not moderate associations between negative affect and either substance in the overall sample, nor the association of positive affect to alcohol use. However, family warmth moderated associations between positive affect and cannabis, with family warmth bolstering protective effects of positive affect. Female youth were less likely than male youth to use alcohol with increasing levels of warmth. Furthermore, compounding protective effects of family warmth and positive affect on cannabis use were stronger among female compared to male youth.
Conclusions:
Several factors may explain the lack of a buffering effect of family warmth on the relationship between negative affect and substance use, including the use of a general affect measure rather than individual measures of depression and anxiety. Nevertheless, these findings suggest substance use interventions should consider the compounding effects of family warmth and positive affect, particularly among female AI youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Surveys
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Robbers Cave

