Although research to date has shown the impact of families on adolescent substance use, all of the previous results have been based on questionnaire or interview data. This study selected a sample of 128 families from a larger sample of 763 families within a longitudinal study of adolescent substance use. All selected parent-adolescent dyads (or triads in intact families) participated in problemsolving interactions. Three of the interactions involved discussions of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana; the fourth was about an issue pertinent to each family. The order of topics was randomly determined for each family. In the three standard scenarios that involved substance use, the subject families were asked to discuss a fictional assignment from a health class teacher. Results showed that aversive affective behavior was more likely to be displayed by substance-using adolescents, whether or not the issue was drug-related. Mothers' and fathers' alcohol use was also shown to contribute to alcohol and cigarette use among their children, and fathers' smoking contributed to marijuana and hard drug use. These data suggest that such families may not be skilled at resolving issues and coping with life's difficulties whether or not they are drug-related. 4 tables and 56 references