SINGLE PARENTS, TEENAGERS LIKELY TO USE DRUGS

TEENAGERS from lone-parent families are more likely to abuse alcohol, take
up smoking and use illegal drugs, according to new research.

The findings, made by psychologists investigating bullying will encourage
traditionalists, but both researchers and campaigners insisted they should
not be used to undermine single parents.

The Social Inclusion and Diversity Research unit at York St John College is
undertaking long-term research into bullying among young people. They
questioned 1832 12 to 16-year-olds about drug and alcohol use and gathered
information about their family background.

Adolescents from lone-father families were more likely than any other group
to experiment with illegal drugs, particularly cannabis: 31% used illegal
drugs compared with 16% of those from two-parent households. They were also,
at 28%, more likely to smoke tobacco.

Almost a quarter of those from lone-mother families used illegal drugs. They
were also the most likely of all family groups to use alcohol, 83% of them
reporting underage drinking - although this figure was high for all groups,
at around 80%.

The mental health of teenagers living with lone fathers was also poor. On
indicators such as depression, hostility, anxiety and psychosis they
outscored youngsters from other family groups on six out of 10 measures.
Those who lived with neither parent were also more likely to have mental
health problems.

Researchers concluded that more support should be given to all lone parents,
and that parents should look out for warning signs so that they can tackle
substance abuse issues early. Meanwhile, the research found no justification
for the belief that boys are better off with fathers and girls with mothers.

Professor Ian Rivers said: "People from one-parent families are more likely
to smoke cigarettes and use alcohol and other drugs. For father-only
families there was a tendency towards cigarettes and cannabis, and alcohol
seemed to be more prevalent where a lone mother was raising the teenager.
This is not a result that has been found before."

However, he urged caution in interpreting the results. "Some people might
think we are advocating that single parents are at fault. We are not
pathologising single-parent families, but we need to find out what is going
on here. More research is needed."

Mental health issues raised by the research also sounded a warning, Rivers
said. "Boys who were with their father were significantly more likely than
any other group to have some mental health problems. Boys with their mother
seem to be pretty much OK."

Better understanding of single parenthood could help education authorities
focus drugs education resources on those who need it most, he said, or help
parents tackle such problems earlier.

Ian Maxwell, spokesman for the charity One Parent Families Scotland, said
the research was "very highly charged."

"We would be wary of drawing too many conclusions from this. What it does
show is that all parents of teenagers have a hard job when it comes to
cigarettes, alcohol and drugs."

He said it would be wrong to draw critical conclusions on one study,
especially in the rare case of single-father families.

"The living conditions of single parents and the poverty they experience is
more crucial than whether they are parenting alone or not," he added.