According to a new University of Michigan study, the influence of peers and parents can be early predictors of adolescent substance use.
The study’s author said children with co-occurring persistent pain and mental health symptoms were 40% more likely to initiate use of alcohol, tobacco or marijuana during early adolescence.
Other key findings:
- Children in households with no clear rules regarding substance use are 70% more likely to start using early.
- A child is three times more likely to initiate use if they perceive that their peers are also using substances.
- As children see parents or peers using substances, their "perceived risk" of those substances drops, making them much more likely to experiment.
- Contrary to the belief that peers become the sole influence in middle school, the study found that family influence remains a powerful deterrent through at least age 14.
Terri Voepel-Lewis is a professor at the U of M School of Nursing. She said it’s important for caregivers to understand a parent’s own substance use and the influence of a child’s friends.
“Care providers need to screen youth for symptoms, as well as substance use behaviors, and many providers are already doing this starting in adolescence. But it needs to start probably in late childhood,” said Voepel-Lewis.
The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
