Adolescent Drug Use and the Family Environment: A Review

The purpose of this study was to examine domains of personality, family, and peer variables and their relationship to the qualitative (stage) and quantitative (frequency) aspects of adolescents' drug use. Black (245) and white (418) high school freshmen and sophomores served as subjects. Analysis indicated that the same personality and peer factors differentiated between the quantitative as well as the qualitative drug groups. However, more family variables were related to stage than to frequency of use. Several models were proposed for examining the interrelationships of the three domains and associations with stage and frequency of drug use. The data supported an independent model for the stage groups; that is, each of the three domains (personality, family, and peer) was associated with the adolescents' stage of drug use independent of the latter's relationship with the remaining domains. For the frequency groups, the data supported a mediational model; that is, the family and personality domains were associated with the peer domain which in turn was associated with frequency of drug use. One interpretation advanced is that stage of drug use is sensitive to an array of factors from all three domains whereas the frequency with which adolescents use the drug depends on the current influence of the peer group.

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Causes of Drug Initiation among Adolescents

Canadian Journal of Family and Youth / Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse ◽

10.29173/cjfy29755 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 63-81

Author(s):

Marek A. Motyka ◽

Ahmed Al-Imam

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Family Environment ◽

Mass Culture ◽

Peer Influences ◽

Preventive Interventions ◽

Life Plans ◽

The Family ◽

The World ◽

First Contact

Drug use is a behaviour frequently seen among adolescents. The World Drug Report draws attention to the increase in this phenomenon. The studies were undertaken to look for determinants that promote drug use and those that protect against reckless activities. It seems important to determine the causes of drug initiation. The presented study aimed to identify the determinants favouring first contact with drugs among adolescents. Eighteen respondents participated in the study. Purposive sampling was used and data were collected using categorized interviews. The exploratory nature of the interviews focused on obtaining information on three areas: family life, peer influences and the role of mass culture products. Education, financial background, and inquiries about life plans, dreams, and their realization were also recorded. The analysis of empirical data made it possible to establish interesting factors conducive to the respondents’ first contact with drugs both in the family environment, peer environment, but also related to popular culture, lifestyle, the influence of significant others, as well as to the dangers of the Internet. Established causes of drug initiations are indicated. The obtained results can be used in designing preventive interventions among adolescents. They can also be the basis for planning further studies with this group.

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Drug Use Predictors Identified in the School Environment

Canadian Journal of Family and Youth / Le Journal Canadien de Famille et de la Jeunesse ◽

10.29173/cjfy29496 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 163-177

Author(s):

Witold Jedynak ◽

Marek A. Motyka

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Family Environment ◽

School Environment ◽

Random Sampling ◽

Selection Method ◽

School Activities ◽

The Family ◽

Prevention Programmes ◽

Risky Behaviours ◽

Research Questions

Drug use is commonplace amongst youths. Alongside the family environment, school is the second place which shapes children's opinions and attitudes. The aim of this research was to identify factors in the school environment conducive to the use of legal and illegal drugs as well as those which protect against such actions. In order to answer the formulated research questions a representative sociological survey was carried out within the Podkarpackie province in Poland on a sample of nearly 2,500 students from 27 secondary schools. A stratified random sampling respondents' selection method was applied. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Empirical data analysis showed the existence of interesting relationships between adolescents' school activities and engaging in risky behaviours. The results of this research may be used for prevention programmes.

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Drug Addiction: Current Trends and Management

International Journal of Indian Psychology ◽

10.25215/0501.057 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jyotika Singh ◽

Pradeep Kumar Gupta

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Drug Use ◽

Drug Addiction ◽

Family Environment ◽

National Level ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Current Trends ◽

The Family ◽

Area Of Concern ◽

The Impact

Drug addiction has become a worldwide problem and the leading cause of death. The global problem of addiction and drug abuse is responsible for millions of deaths and millions of new cases of HIV every year. In recent years, India is seeing a rising trend in drug addiction. The most common use of drug in India is alcohol, followed by cannabis and opiates. Drug use, whether licit or illicit, causes serious health problems in individuals. The National level survey conducted on drug use in India indicated that prevalence of drug abuse among males in the general population is significant. Drug abuse among women exists. Despite the fact that more men use drugs than women, the impact of drug use tends to be greater on women, because women lack access to care for drug dependence. Economic burden, disturbed family environment, violence, and psychological problems are other consequences of drug abuse in the family. Adolescent drug abuse is another major area of concern because more than half of the person’s with substance use disorder are introduced to drugs before the age of 15 years. At present, there exists a significant gap in service delivery. The current paper highlights the causes of drug abuse, and describes the treatment and prevention of drug abuse and addiction for proper management of the problem.

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Associations Between Childhood Trauma and the Age of First-Time Drug Use in Methamphetamine-Dependent Patients

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.658205 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Cui Huang ◽

Qiuyu Yuan ◽

Ling Zhang ◽

Lei Wang ◽

Shu Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Drug Use ◽

Physical Abuse ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Family Environment ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

The Family ◽

First Time ◽

The Relationship

Childhood trauma is related to substance use disorder; however, few studies have examined the relationship between childhood trauma and the age at which the drug was first used. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and the age of first-time drug use among methamphetamine-dependent patients. Moreover, we analyzed the characteristics of adverse family environment associated with severe childhood trauma and the risk factors for starting drugs in minors. A baseline interview was conducted with 110 participants who were in detoxification, including demographic information, past substance use, and age of first-time drug use. The participants' childhood trauma experience before 18 years of age was evaluated using the simplified version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF). The Chinese version of the Family Environment Scale (FES-CV) was used to assess the family environment of methamphetamine-dependent patients. Among 110 non-injecting methamphetamine-dependent patients, nearly half (n = 48, 43.6%) had moderate and severe childhood trauma. Correlation analysis showed that the age of first-time drug use negatively correlated with emotional abuse (r = −0.32, p < 0.01) and physical abuse (r = −0.27, p < 0.01). The age of first-time drug use negatively correlated with conflict (r = −0.20, p < 0.05) and independence (r = −0.22, p < 0.05) of family environment, but positively correlated with intellectual-cultural orientation (r = 0.28, p < 0.01). Additionally, childhood trauma factors significantly correlated with many indexes of family environment, especially cohesion (r = −0.45, p < 0.01), conflict (r = 0.49, p < 0.01), and independence (r = 0.33, p < 0.01). Additionally, the regression model showed that when emotional abuse increased by one point, the age of first-time drug use was 0.69 years earlier. These findings suggest that a detrimental family environment can aggravate childhood trauma, and the experience of childhood emotional or physical abuse may be an effective predictor of early drug use among methamphetamine-dependent patients.

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Adolescent drug use and attitudes toward the family.

Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement ◽

10.1037/h0081538 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 79-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

G. William Mercer ◽

John D. Hundleby ◽

Richard A. Carpenter

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Adolescent Drug Use ◽

The Family

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Family Environment Factors in Alcohol and Drug Misuse among Indonesian Students: Indonesia National Narcotics Survey of Students

10.20944/preprints202109.0020.v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nohan Arum Romadlona ◽

Budi Utomo ◽

Purwa Kurnia Sucahya ◽

Monalisa Monalisa

Keyword(s):

Drug Use ◽

Family Environment ◽

Alcohol Drinking ◽

Parental Support ◽

Illicit Drug ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Target Population ◽

Drug Misuse ◽

The Family ◽

The Impact

The family environment has an important role in determining children’s personality and behavior. This study examined the impact of the family environment on alcohol and drug misuse among Indonesian students. Data were obtained from the National Illicit Drug Use Survey of students in Indonesia in 2016, conducted in 18 provinces. The subjects were 35,340 students from 1284 schools and universities with an age range of 12-25 years. The survey used the self-administered modified NODC Structured Illicit Drug questionnaire. The results show that 13.7% of students ever drank alcohol and 2.1% of students misused drugs within the previous year. Among students who drank alcohol, 11% also used drugs. In the latter group, they were likely to have been victims of verbal and physical violence by their parents and never discussed any problems with their parents. Living with a family with existing risky behavior (alcohol drinking and/or drug misuse) was the strongest risk factor of alcohol drinking (aOR: 4.78; 4.27-5.37) and drug misuse (aOR: 2.32; 1.79-3.01). These results indicate that the family environment affects these risky behaviors in this target population. Making adjustments through parental support, control, and parenting style, particularly in initiating parent–child communication, may have benefits in preventing alcohol drinking and drug use in this target population.

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