Dual Systems Imbalance as a Predictor of Marijuana Use Risk: Examining Parental Monitoring as a Moderator

The dual systems model focuses on imbalance in the development of impulse control and sensation-seeking during adolescence. This imbalance is posited to explain the high propensity for involvement in risky behaviors during this period of the life-course, like marijuana use. Parental monitoring may be a social factor which may help understand this relationship. This study sought to examine dual systems imbalance as a predictor of marijuana use and parental monitoring as a moderator of this relationship. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study data were analyzed. Logistic regression modeling was used to examine relationships of interest. Greater dual systems imbalance characterized by greater sensation-seeking and lower impulse control was associated with increased risk for marijuana use. Parental monitoring significantly moderated this relationship, with high parental monitoring providing protective effects against the impact of greater imbalance on marijuana use risk.