Correlations among maternal rejection, dropping out of school, and drug use in adolescents: a pilot study

Rejection and hostility scores of mothers whose sons had dropped out of school and of mothers whose sons were in good standing academically formed non-overlapping distributions. All mothers of drop-outs had higher hostility and rejection scores than mothers whose sons were doing well academically. Scores of mothers whose sons were still in school, but who were experiencing academic problems, fell midway between these two groups and were significantly different from both. Maternal rejection and hostility also correlated significantly with drug use. Possible causal linkages among these phenomena and clinical and preventive implications were discussed briefly.