Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

8/18/2019 Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

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Kelsey Ort

HDFS 129H

Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

Teenage substance abuse has been an ongoing issue for decades. Since the emergence of

this substance abuse there ha!e been many conflicting o"inions about ho# to best handle this

issue in an effecti!e "arenting style.

The first "o"ular media source comes from the Saturday $!ening %ost and #as "ublished

in 19&'. $ntitled (Do"e in!ades the suburbs) this article highlights the gro#ing issue of

substance abuse among adolescents and also discusses ho# "arents decided to get in!ol!ed in the

matter during this "eriod of time in American history throughout many cities. According to the

article (drug use #as s"reading through the commuter suburbs flan*ing many ma+or American

cities) ,-oldman 19&' . Substance abuse #as shifting to middle and u""er class adolescents

(some of #hom come from beautiful homes) ,-oldman 19&' . The adolescents used their good

fortune to their benefit/ 0 hile their "arents are at some coc*tail "arty the *ids drin* gul" do#n

"ills and a#ay they go to#ard mari+uana and heroin.0 As the addiction issue began to gro# the

issue of ho# to "arent this ty"e of beha!ior also arose. The "arents ado"ted an attitude of

ignoring the real "roblems. They #ere in essence in denial of the fact that substance abuse #as

"resent in their households ,-oldman 19&' . This #as a time "eriod in #hich teenagers roamed

fairly free in these areas and the "arents had little *no#ledge about the li!es of their children.

One father e!en claimed to (not *no# #ho his3 son4s friends #ere or #here he #ent at night)

,-oldman 19&' and as a result this led to ignorance on the "arents4 "art and their "arenting

style #as !ery rela5ed and unin!ol!ed.


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The second "o"ular media source is entitled Parenting Strategies. De!elo"ed in 261'

these guidelines hel" "arents to direct their adolescents to better life choices after falling "rey to

drug and alcohol use. Some of these guidelines include being a good role model establishing

family rules and then monitoring the child "re"aring for "eer influence dealing #ith substance

use adolescent "arties and the "arent to child relationshi" ,7a" 2618 . eing a good role model

is im"ortant because children are !ery im"ressionable during the adolescent years. ( arning

your adolescent about the dangers of drin*ing #ill not be effecti!e if you do not set a good

e5am"le yourself) ,7a" 2618 . Additionally as a child (a""roaches adolescence friends and

:fitting in4 becomes !ery im"ortant but obtaining acce"tance from "eers can be difficult) ,7a"2618 . This article gi!es "arents hel"ful hints to #arn their adolescents about the dangers of

succumbing to "eer "ressure as #ell as dealing #ith the issues that are associated #ith substance

abuse.

There are a fe# similarities e!ident bet#een the t#o "o"ular media sources. One

similarity is the fact that the real #orld is inherently ris*y and carries #ith it many tem"tationsand "ressures that "rey u"on indi!iduals in their "rime adolescent years. Additionally both

media sources recogni;e the fact that substance abuse among the adolescent "o"ulation is #rong

and has been a gro#ing "roblem for decades. The differences bet#een the t#o sources

ho#e!er arise in the #ay they discuss and see* to deal #ith the issues at hand. The first tells the

story of a suburban neighborhood #hose citi;ens chose to ignore their "arental roles and sim"ly

a!oided the issues of drug and alcohol use #ith #hich their teenagers #ere dealing.


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touch on the to"ic of ho# to sol!e the "roblem. On the o""osing end of the s"ectrum the second

source di!es dee" into the roots of the issue and strategi;es #ays to rectify the situation as best as

"ossible. >ltimately the t#o media sources ha!e a fe# similarities but are o!erall dissimilar.

The issue of substance abuse in the adolescent age range has been thoroughly studied

and substantial research on the to"ic has been established. According to the ?ournal of Studies

on Alcohol and Drugs these substances (are im"ortant contributors to "re!entable harm in

young adults) ,@inaie 2618 ".& 2 . As a direct result of the conse=uences of alcohol and drug

use the delay of the use of these substances has become a global effort ,@inaie 2618 ".& ' .

Along #ith the delay of the use of alcohol comes the contro!ersy of #hether or not it is

acce"table for "arents to allo# their underage children to drin* at home under their su"er!ision.

( Some parents believe that allowing adolescents to drink at home is developmentally

protective…[as] the home represents a supervised and controlled environment in which

adolescents can learn to drink responsibly, where the allure of alcohol as a ‘forbidden fruit’ is

minimized” (Cooper & Levitt, 2015, p.662). Many individuals believe that this will instill

common sense in teenagers to drink responsively; however, there are many negative factors

associated with this. “[Allowing underage drinking] condones an illegal behavior that carries

potentially significant health risks” (Cooper & Levitt, 2015, p.663). The majority of research

sides with this theory and does not believe that allowing underage drinking is productive by any

means.

Research shows that there is without a doubt “an association between adolescent problem

behavior and deficits in parental support and control” (Barrera & Stice, 1995, p.327). A

longitudinal study depicts how parents who are not supportive and do not take active part in their


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adolescent’s life will see a higher rate of problematic behavior. As an individual grows and

develops, he needs a strong support system around which he can surround himself which may, in

turn, have a positive effect on the lack of problematic behavior that the adolescent exhibits

(Barrera & Stice, 1995, 328).

One scientific journal put particular emphasis on which parenting style is most effective

in protecting against adolescent substance abuse. The findings reported that (both indulgent and

authoritati!e "arenting styles #ere associated #ith better outcomes than authoritarian and

neglectful "arenting in all the countries studied) ,Balafat 261' 1C8 . This demonstrates that

"arents #ho e5hibited #armth #ith or #ithout strictness sa# less "roblems #ith their

adolescents in regards to substance abuse than the "arents #ho #ere only strict or sho#ed no

#armth or strictness at all. Similarly another +ournal researched the associations bet#een

"ercei!ed authoritati!e "arenting and early adolescent substance abuse ,Fletcher ?efferies

1999 ' ' . After the study #as com"leted the research suggested that ("ercei!ed "arental

disci"linary conse=uences of engaging in substance use mediated associations bet#een "ercei!ed

authoritati!e "arenting and girls4 substance use) ,Fletcher ?efferies 1999 ' & . hile boys4

substance use #as not lin*ed there is still e!idence to su""ort the fact that authoritati!e

"arenting style is effecti!e in minimi;ing substance use among adolescents.

hen com"aring the scholarly articles to the t#o "o"ular media sources it is made =uite

ob!ious that the "o"ular media source from 19&' does not follo# #hat the research suggests

#hile the more recent media source does. All of the research "ro!es that "arents must "lay an

integral role in raising their children and this includes the adolescent years #hen e5"erimenting

#ith drugs and alcohol begins to become a reality. Bontrary to this research the first media


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source focused on the "arents staying out of the li!es of their children and being una#are of the

goings on #ithin their household and community. Ho#e!er the second source offered !aluable

strategies that reinforce the research and "ut the "arents on the front lines of trying to end the

substance use or "re!ent it from ta*ing "lace all together. ltimately the most im"ortant as"ect of ensuring that "arents a""ro"riately

res"ond to the issue of substance use in their home is to sim"ly be in!ol!ed in their child4s life.


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or*s Bited

arrera @. Stice $. ,1998 . A longitudinal e5amination of the reci"rocal relations

bet#een "ercei!ed "arenting and adolescents4 substance use and e5ternali;ing beha!iors. The

American Psychological Association, 31(2), 322-334. etrie!ed from

htt"/GGsearch."ro=uest.com.e;access.libraries."su.eduGdoc!ie#G&1' 2 1&Gfullte5t%DFI

accountidJ1 18C

Balafat A. ,261' . hich "arenting style is more "rotecti!e against adolescent substance

useI $!idence #ithin the $uro"ean conte5t. Drug and Alcohol De endence, 13!(1), 1!"-1#2.

etrie!ed from sciencedirect.com.

Boo"er @. . e!itt A. ,2618 . Should "arents allo# their adolescent children to drin*

at homeI Family factors as "redictors of alcohol in!ol!ement tra+ectories o!er 18 years. $ournal

o% Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, &'(4), ''1-'& . etrie!ed from alcoholstudies.rutgters.edu.

Fletcher A. B. ?efferies . B. ,1999 . %arental mediators of associations bet#een

"ercei!ed authoritati!e "arenting and early adolescent substance use. The $ournal o% arly

Adolescence, 1#(4), 4'"-4!&. etrie!ed from +ea.sage"ub.com.

-oldman . ,19&' . Do"e in!ades the suburbs. Saturday *ening Post.

@inaie @. -. ,2618 . %arenting style and beha!ior as longitudinal "redictors ofadolescent alcohol use. $ournal o% Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, &'("), '&1-'. etrie!ed from

alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu.

7a" @. ,2618 . %re!enting adolescent alcohol misuse. Parenting Strategies.


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Substance Abuse Among Adolescents