Teen Attitudes toward Smoking Influences Substance Abuse
Recent research has shown that teenagers' attitudes toward smoking can influence their likelihood of drinking and using drugs. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College revealed that there are gender differences in the way teens get started with smoking, drinking, and using marijuana in combination, also known as poly-drug abuse.
They primarily looked at how parent and peer influence can effect the drug use pattern in teenagers. The research was conducted on 2,400 sixth and seventh graders by carrying out a confidential survey. The children were from the inner-city schools in New York.
Drug use has always been linked to popularity. For girls, the researchers found that friends play the most important role. If the attitude among their friends is favorable toward poly-drug use, they are more likely to abuse drugs.
With boys, their perception about their own age group was the deciding factor for them—that is, how they perceived their age group’s reaction to smoking and using alcohol and drugs.
"If a teenager feels smoking is socially acceptable and widely practiced, they are much more likely not only to smoke, but to also drink and possibly use marijuana," says lead author Dr. Jennifer A. Epstein, assistant professor of public health in the Division of Prevention and Health Behavior at Weill Cornell Medical College.
"While the differences between how boys and girls are influenced by these social factors are subtle, they could help us develop new gender-specific educational tactics for preventing these behaviors," she added.
Some elements were the same for both sexes. When teenagers observed their friends and parents indulging in drinking or smoking, or having a lenient attitude about substances, they reported poly-drug use more often than the control group. Another factor was the teenager's ability to refuse the offers.
Another major influence on the behavior of the teens was from their parents or guardians. Parents who were strict with their ideology against drug use, and kept a watchful eye on their children, lessened the chances of their children getting into drugs.
"A parent's opinion matters. Moms and dads are critical role models and should let their attitudes against drug use be known. It's also important to keep an eye on their child's social circle, since, especially for girls, it's their friends who are so central to influencing their behavior," says Dr. Epstein.
"At the same time, parents can do things that reduce their child's risk for using drugs, such as teaching them to set goals and assert themselves."
