UC Irvine

This article aims to examine parent–child drug talks specific to African American single mothers and their preadolescent children who live in a inner city neighborhood. Thirty-two single mothers participated in 1-hr individual interviews describing how they communicated with their preadolescent (8–12 years old) about drug use. Three areas were addressed: Why drug talks occur, how drug talks take place, and the content of these talks. The interviews revealed that parent–child drug talks were culturally and communally driven, taking place out of necessity, incorporating real life situations as evidence of drug use outcomes, and occurring quite frequently with open communication regarding drug use. The implications are discussed related to the design of parent–child communication strategies in preadolescent drug use prevention. © 2010 Eastern Communication Association.