Families make a difference

Sashur H.

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Families make a difference

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Abstract

Research suggests that adolescent delinquent substance abuse is one of the more prevalent social problems in the United States. I chose this topic because I have seen it among my own peers. Substance abuse is a problem regardless of race, class, ethnicity or gender among adolescents. In a study of illicit drug use among high-school seniors in 2000, 57% of all seniors reported using illegal drugs not including alcohol at least once since they began high school (2000, 413). From my own experiences, everyone I know has tried some form of illicit drug in their lives, and most have continued on to become habitual drug users with negative life outcomes including probation, jail time, and school failure. It is important then, to highlight the risk factors that lead to adolescent drug use and to stop them before they escalate into habitual use. According to current research, the family is one of the most important protective factors in preventing drug use and abuse among children. My purpose in this paper is to prove that negative family involvement, conflict, and added familial stressors increase the likelihood of substance abuse among adolescents. Thus, positive family involvement in the lives of adolescents is the key protective factor to consider in prevention and intervention programs for adolescent behavior problems and substance abuse

Introduction.
1. Adolescent delinquent substance abuse.
2. Jennifer Butters's ?Family stressors and adolescent cannabis use: a pathway to problem use,?.
Scheer, Borden and Donnermeyer's paper ?The relationship between family factors and adolescent substance use in rural, suburban, and urban settings.?
1. Building competencies among individuals.
Nina Mounts's ?Parental management of adolescent peer relationship in context: the role of parenting style.?
1. Lack of parental involvement.
The current research on adolescent substance abuse.
Conclusion.

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[...] Prevalence and Correlates of Past-Year Substance Use, Abuse, and Dependence in a Suburban Community Sample of High School Students. Addictive Behaviors 413-423. Cronk, Christine E. & Paul D. Sarvela. (1997). Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use among Rural/Small Town and Urban Youth: A secondary Analysis of the Monitoring the Future Data Set. American Journal of Public Health 760-764. Gailaf, Elisha R., Chih-Ping Chao, Steve Sussman & Clyde W. Dent. Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Substance Use Among Continuation High School Students. [...]

[...] The family is the key institution that socializes a child. When a portion of the family is lacking then, the children are not being socialized properly and gain all their social qualities from school and peers. She then notes that stress within the family and home is often taken out on school grades and academic achievement. According to the research, poor academic achievement has a higher correlation to drug abuse than even family stressors do. Therefore, the increase in family stressors has a third party effect on substance abuse by lowering academic performance and thus lowering the self-esteem and self-worth of the individual adolescent. [...]

[...] Adolescents whose parents are involved in school events and communicate with their children about doing drugs make the youths feel like their families and therefore are less likely to become involved in substance and negative peer relationships (2000, 110). Results also show that parents who talk to their children about smoking cigarettes and using drugs also make children feel like their families care about them. This boosts their self-worth and self-esteem and thus creates a trusting respectful relationship. As previously stated, high perception of self- worth and self-esteem are protective factors in and of themselves. [...]

[...] It is a lack of parental involvement that has shown up in several studies as a precursor for adolescent deviant behaviors such as substance abuse. Simons and Robertson follow the same line of thought in their article impact of parenting factors, deviant peers, and coping style upon adolescent drug use.” Like my previous articles, Simons and Robertson hypothesize that substance abuse is strongly associated with weak bonds to family and strong bonds to deviant peers. Their model focuses on the impact of parental behavior upon aspects of adolescent psychosocial development. [...]

[...] This can be done in several ways, for example, parenting classes and nurse programs where nurses visit the homes of families after a child is born to help the initial bonding process. Second, programs need to focus on adolescent academic achievement skills. Tutoring and mentor programs are possibilities here because they offer additional knowledge outside of school with someone the adolescent trusts and respects. Third, programs need to focus on strengthening adolescent self-esteem and self-worth by providing activities to students that focus on individual skills and competencies the adolescents may have. [...]

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