Temperament and IQ mediate the effects of family history of substance abuse and family dysfunction on academic achievement.

In this study of sons of substance-abusing (n = 57) and normal (n = 71) fathers, it was hypothesized that sons' positive affective temperament (PAT) and intellectual ability (FSIQ) would mediate the effects of paternal substance abuse and family dysfunction on sons' reading achievement scores. Hierarchical, linear, and path analytic regression analyses were computed to test the hypotheses. It was found that (1) sons' FSIQ and PAT each partially mediated the effects of paternal substance abuse on sons' reading achievement scores and (2) that sons' PAT mediated the relationship between family dysfunction and their reading achievement scores. Because reading achievement is pivotal to academic success and school failure is associated with early age substance use, the importance of identifying processes that promote academic success is discussed.