Teenage drug use is wide-ranging, and the popularity of specific drugs varies with each generations. According to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, common reasons for this variance include perceived benefits of drug use, availability and social acceptance among peers.
Because the wax and wane of a drug's popularity changes frequently, knowing which drugs to target may prove difficult. Understanding the inherent risk factors associated with teen substance abuse is one step in fighting substance addiction.
Violence
In a study published in 2000, in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology by the American Sociological Society, Dr. Dean G. Kilpatrick and associates found that the major risk factor involved in teenage drug use and abuse was experiencing or witnessing violence. Alcohol abuse, marijuana abuse and hard drug abuse all increased dramatically for those teenagers who had experienced physical or sexual trauma, with no differences between genders found. Substance abuse disorders tripled in cases where violence was witnessed, and Kilpatrick suggests that drug abuse becomes a coping disorder in cases where violence is prevalent.
Mental Illness
Kilpatrick also noted in his study that teenagers who had previously been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) showed increased marijuana and hard drug use, abuse and dependence. The National Mental Health Information Center reports that teenagers with mental illnesses are at greater risk for developing drug dependence and engaging in behaviors that put them at risk. Being diagnosed with a mental illness increases risk that your teenager may become involved in illicit drug use.
Perceived Risk
The chance that your child may become involved in drug abuse or substance dependence may be affected by your teen's perceptions of how high the risk of drug use is. The adolescent will consider risks associated with physical health, social popularity, emotional risk, losing a job or getting arrested to decide whether or not to engage in particular behaviors. This is in contrast to the perceived benefit of a drug, such as euphoria felt when using certain drugs. If a teen is told by peers, the media, research and family that a certain drug is too risky, such as ecstasy or heroin, use of that drug will decrease. If teens believe that any drug use is too risky, overall drug use will decline.
Parental Involvement
While substance abuse and dependence can be difficult to track or even perceive, dramatic decreases in teenage substance abuse were reported in years where parents and guardians were consistently talking with children about drug use, according to the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base. Combined with anti-drug messages in the media, parental involvement can be one of the largest influences on teen drug use. The Knowledge Base also reports that drug use in teenagers historically increases when national parental involvement decreases.
