<p>While General Strain Theory explains how family stress leads to deviance via negative emotions, female adolescents often cope with such strain through substance use as an internalizing response. However, research examining whether this substance use pathway links family strain to criminal justice system contact among female adolescents remains limited. This study investigates whether adolescent girls' substance use mediates the association between parental marital quality and subsequent juvenile arrest. Using data from 1,575 female respondents in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, a generalized structural equation model is estimated. Results show that higher levels of parental marital quality are associated with lower levels of substance use among female adolescents, which in turn reduces the likelihood of arrest. The relationship between parental marital quality and arrest among adolescent girls is significantly mediated by substance use. These findings underscore the importance of family dynamics in shaping adolescent girls' behavioral outcomes and highlight substance use as a key mechanism linking family strain to justice system involvement for this population.</p>