BOND WITH MOM, OLDER FRIENDS SWAY GIRLS' DRUG USE

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - A close relationship between a mother and
daughter may help prevent teen substance abuse, researchers said at a
meeting here Saturday.

And early puberty may increase the risk, but only if early-maturing girls
gravitate to older friends who use drugs or are involved in delinquent
behavior.

The findings were presented at a Society for Prevention Research conference.

Julia Graber and colleagues from the University of Florida psychology
department studied the effects of early puberty in 1,225 sixth-grade girls
who were participating in a drug and violence prevention program. Almost
half the girls were African American, 29 percent were Latina and the rest
were from other ethnic groups.

The girls were asked if they thought they had matured earlier, at the same
time or later than their peers. Graber found that girls who matured early
were more likely to have tried marijuana or alcohol in sixth grade, but that
early puberty by itself was not a strong predictor of drug use.

But early puberty did seem to be correlated with risk-seeking and with
seeking out friendships with older friends who engaged in delinquent
behavior or drug use, Graber told Reuters Health.

It's not clear yet why early-maturing girls initiate friendships with older
peers, but it's clearly a risk, she said. "There seems to be a connection
there where these girls seem to be at risk for these relationships, and that
in turn puts them at risk for drug use," Graber said.

In another survey Columbia University researchers are investigating whether
daughters who are close to their mothers are less likely to use drugs.

Associate research scholar Kristin Cole and her colleagues surveyed 100
African-American girls ages 10 to 11 and their mothers in New York City. The
researchers asked how much time mothers and daughters spent together, how
much the daughters talked about their problems with their mothers and how
well the mothers knew their daughters.

After the survey, 60 mother-daughter pairs viewed a CD-ROM program with
African-American and Latina actresses who talked about increasing
mother-daughter bonding. The girls and their mothers could interact with the
program through role-playing and answering questions, said Cole.

When tested two weeks after the program, most mothers and daughters had
increased their interactions, Cole told Reuters Health. She and her
colleagues have applied for funding to enlarge the study. The goal is to
give it to mothers and daughters in housing projects around the city, said
Cole.

Tracy Nichols, an assistant professor in the division of prevention and
health behavior at Weill Medical College in New York said both studies
highlighted points of attack for preventing substance abuse.

Girls are heavily influenced by peers and often use drugs to cope with
emotions such as anxiety and anger, she said. Parental supervision also
seems to be more important in girls than boys.

"When there's less supervision going on among girls, it really puts them at
risk," she said, noting that parents need to be vigilant about their girls'
social relationships.