News (Media Awareness Project) - US: Wire: Teen Drug Abuse On The Rise |
| Title: | US: Wire: Teen Drug Abuse On The Rise |
| Published On: | 1998-02-25 |
| Source: | Reuters |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-07 15:02:40 |
TEEN DRUG ABUSE ON THE RISE
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A review of the last 10 years of research on drug
abuse shows that adolescent substance abuse rose sharply between 1992 and
1996.
"There has been a sharp recent resurgence in adolescent drug use," write
researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National
Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland.
According to their report, published in the March issue of the Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a review of
previously published studies shows that the rates for use of several drugs
among teens were higher in the early 1990s than any time since the
mid-1980s.
"In 1996, the annual Monitoring the Future Study... found that almost one
third of high school seniors reported having been drunk in the past month,
and one fifth of seniors and 10th graders reported using marijuana in that
period," write the team, led by Dr. Naimah Z. Weinberg.
"Biological factors, including genetic and temperament characteristics, as
well as family environment factors, are emerging as important etiological
(causative) factors," conclude the researchers.
"Of note, peer influence appears to be less significant than previously
thought in predicting either drug use or drug abuse," they write.
Some adolescents who are heavy drug abusers also have concurring mental
disorders. These "high-risk" individuals often demonstrate characteristics
such as sensation-seeking; difficulties with planning, attention and motor
control; and behavioral and mood difficulties.
The authors note that variables like positive self-esteem, supportive
family relationships, and positive role models serve to protect an
adolescent against drug use. Treatment for drug abuse through family
therapy has shown to be beneficial.
The researchers advise more research on drug use by adolescents, to
determine "individualized and effective treatment approaches." SOURCE:
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(1998;37:252-261)
Copyright ) 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A review of the last 10 years of research on drug
abuse shows that adolescent substance abuse rose sharply between 1992 and
1996.
"There has been a sharp recent resurgence in adolescent drug use," write
researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National
Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland.
According to their report, published in the March issue of the Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a review of
previously published studies shows that the rates for use of several drugs
among teens were higher in the early 1990s than any time since the
mid-1980s.
"In 1996, the annual Monitoring the Future Study... found that almost one
third of high school seniors reported having been drunk in the past month,
and one fifth of seniors and 10th graders reported using marijuana in that
period," write the team, led by Dr. Naimah Z. Weinberg.
"Biological factors, including genetic and temperament characteristics, as
well as family environment factors, are emerging as important etiological
(causative) factors," conclude the researchers.
"Of note, peer influence appears to be less significant than previously
thought in predicting either drug use or drug abuse," they write.
Some adolescents who are heavy drug abusers also have concurring mental
disorders. These "high-risk" individuals often demonstrate characteristics
such as sensation-seeking; difficulties with planning, attention and motor
control; and behavioral and mood difficulties.
The authors note that variables like positive self-esteem, supportive
family relationships, and positive role models serve to protect an
adolescent against drug use. Treatment for drug abuse through family
therapy has shown to be beneficial.
The researchers advise more research on drug use by adolescents, to
determine "individualized and effective treatment approaches." SOURCE:
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(1998;37:252-261)
Copyright ) 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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