News (Media Awareness Project) - Canada: Friends a Factor in Early Drug and Alcohol Use |
| Title: | Canada: Friends a Factor in Early Drug and Alcohol Use |
| Published On: | 2004-05-18 |
| Source: | Globe and Mail (Canada) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-18 09:54:24 |
FRIENDS A FACTOR IN EARLY DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE
Adolescents with friends who use alcohol or marijuana are more likely to do
so themselves, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
Two-thirds of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 who said all or
most of their friends had used alcohol said they had been drunk at least
once themselves.
About 42 per cent of the youths in the survey reported having consumed at
least one drink, and more than one-fifth said they had been drunk at least
once.
In comparison, 8 per cent of adolescents who had few or no friends using
alcohol had ever been drunk.
Similarly, four-fifths of adolescents who smoked marijuana had friends who
also did so, as compared with 7 per cent of adolescents who smoked
marijuana who didn't have friends who used the drug.
One-fifth of 12 to 15-year-olds reported having smoked marijuana.
Although the study supports evidence that peer pressure contributes to
alcohol and drug use, the report cautions that "it is not possible to
determine a causal direction. ... It could also be that 'birds of a feather
flock together,' and adolescents seek friends with similar attitudes toward
alcohol and other drugs."
The study also linked parenting styles to adolescent behaviour.
If an adolescent's parental relations were characterized by nagging,
unreliable rule enforcement and threats, the odds of adolescents' getting
drunk and using drugs were relatively high.
The report noted, however, that "it is possible that the parents' way of
dealing with the adolescent may have changed in response to behavioural
problems such as alcohol or drug use."
The odds of using drugs were nearly double for youth with step-parents
compared with other families, the study found.
Youths who were apathetic or performed poorly at school were twice as
likely to get drunk as those who did well at school and showed a strong
commitment to their studies, the report said.
Statscan research was based on 4,296 adolescents aged 12 to 15 who
participated in the 1998/1998 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and
Youth.
Adolescents with friends who use alcohol or marijuana are more likely to do
so themselves, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
Two-thirds of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 who said all or
most of their friends had used alcohol said they had been drunk at least
once themselves.
About 42 per cent of the youths in the survey reported having consumed at
least one drink, and more than one-fifth said they had been drunk at least
once.
In comparison, 8 per cent of adolescents who had few or no friends using
alcohol had ever been drunk.
Similarly, four-fifths of adolescents who smoked marijuana had friends who
also did so, as compared with 7 per cent of adolescents who smoked
marijuana who didn't have friends who used the drug.
One-fifth of 12 to 15-year-olds reported having smoked marijuana.
Although the study supports evidence that peer pressure contributes to
alcohol and drug use, the report cautions that "it is not possible to
determine a causal direction. ... It could also be that 'birds of a feather
flock together,' and adolescents seek friends with similar attitudes toward
alcohol and other drugs."
The study also linked parenting styles to adolescent behaviour.
If an adolescent's parental relations were characterized by nagging,
unreliable rule enforcement and threats, the odds of adolescents' getting
drunk and using drugs were relatively high.
The report noted, however, that "it is possible that the parents' way of
dealing with the adolescent may have changed in response to behavioural
problems such as alcohol or drug use."
The odds of using drugs were nearly double for youth with step-parents
compared with other families, the study found.
Youths who were apathetic or performed poorly at school were twice as
likely to get drunk as those who did well at school and showed a strong
commitment to their studies, the report said.
Statscan research was based on 4,296 adolescents aged 12 to 15 who
participated in the 1998/1998 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and
Youth.
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