GRACE M. BARNES,JOSEPH H. HOFFMAN, AND JOHN W. WELTE University at Buffalo, State University of New York MICHAEL P. FARRELL University at Buffalo, State University of New York* BARBARA A. DINTCHEFF University at Buffalo, State University of New York Effects of Parental Monitoring and Peer Deviance on Substance Use and Delinquency From socialization theory, it was hypothesized that parental support and monitoring as well as peer deviance would influence individual trajec- tories of alcohol misuse, other substance use, and delinquency. Six waves of data were ana- lyzed using interviews with 506 adolescents in a general population sample. Results from mul- tilevel modeling showed that monitoring signifi- cantly predicted adolescents’ initial levels (intercepts) of alcohol misuse and delinquency. Parental monitoring strongly predicted the rates of increase (slope) in all 3 problem behav- iors. Peer deviance significantly predicted ini- tial levels of all problem behaviors and the rates of increase in them. This study provides evidence that both effective parenting and avoidance of associations with delinquent peers are important factors in preventing adolescent problem behaviors. Alcohol misuse, illicit substance use, and delin- quency increase during adolescence. Further- more, these behaviors have been shown to co-occur constituting what has been called a syndrome of problem behaviors (Donovan & Jessor, 1985; Jessor, Donovan, & Costa, 1991). Although many adolescents with problem be- haviors phase out of this pattern of behavior as they acquire stable roles in young adulthood (Bachman et al., 2002; Moffitt, 1993), many young people with an early pattern of drinking, other substance use, or antisocial behavior set a course for persistent problems later in adult- hood (Grant & Dawson, 1997; Moffitt). Thus, developing a better understanding of which fac- tors have the potential to change the upward tra- jectory of problem behaviors in adolescence is critically important for prevention and social policy. Comprehensive reviews document the numerous risk and protective factors associated adolescent alcohol use (e.g., Windle, 1999), sub- stance use (e.g., Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992), and delinquency (e.g., Hawkins, 1996). From the large body of research on adolescent problem behaviors, parental and peer influences are among the most widely cited predictive fac- tors. Our theoretical model depicts the central importance of the parental and peer socialization process in the development of adolescent alco- hol misuse and related problem behaviors after taking into account key sociodemograhic fac- tors, such as gender, age, and race, and individ- ual factors, such as adolescent temperament and family history of alcohol abuse (see elaboration of the model in Barnes, 1990; Barnes & Farrell, 1992). Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 (barnes@ria.buffalo.edu). *Department of Sociology, University at Buffalo, State Uni- versity of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260. Key Words: adolescence, alcohol misuse, delinquency, parental monitoring, peer deviance, substance use. 1084 Journal of Marriage and Family 68 (November 2006): 1084–1104