The social development model hypothesizes that strong bonds to prosocial others and institutions contribute to prosocial behavior, while strong bonds to antisocial others and institutions contribute to antisocial behavior. This study showed that bonding to parents and child substance use were moderately negatively correlated in children whose parents ceased using drugs but were weakly positively correlated in children whose parents continued using drugs. These results support the social development model and suggest that family interventions for preventing substance use in children of substance abusers should focus on reducing parent drug use and promote bonding to parents who are abstinent. Other elements of prevention programs with these families (such as attempts to improve family communication skills and teach parents how to help their children succeed in school) may be implemented before parents become abstinent. Tables, references