Drug and alcohol use among adolescents in the United States tends to increase, and the lack of monitoring the adolescents’ behaviors by parents and teachers can lead to developing this tendency in the future.
Much attention should be paid to identifying predicting factors in order to avoid impacts on adolescents’ well-being, health, academic performance, and social interactions.
The results of the studies mentioned by McWhirter and the group of researchers in their work indicate that a range of factors related to the family, peer relations, and individual characteristics can be discussed as helpful to predict substance and alcohol use (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2013, p. 173).
In this context, it is important to discuss predicting factors, focus on the role of the family, peers, and individual features to influence substance use, concentrate on the legal and ethical aspects, and to determine connections between stated risks and youth’s development.
Variables Related to Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Adolescents
Family-Related Characteristics
Parents play the key role in predicting the abuse of drugs and alcohol in adolescents, but the problem is in the fact that there are also specific family factors associated with adolescents’ use of substances. The first factor is the approach used by parents to interact with their children.
The research shows that the authoritative parents’ behavior and the associated pressure within the family can be discussed as a factor to cause the alcohol and substance use in adolescents as a form of protest (McWhirter et al., 2013, p. 174).
The second factor is the absence of the parents’ monitoring within the family. Adolescents need the constant monitoring and support in their families, and the lack of attention leads to developing harmful behaviors in young people (McWhirter et al., 2013, p. 177).
If adolescents feel lonely in their families because they do not feel the parents’ support, love, and attention, the threat of risky behaviors increases.
Peer-Related Characteristics
Research demonstrates that two basic variables associated with the adolescents’ use of alcohol and drugs are provision of the information about drugs and provision of actual substances as well as the peer pressure (McWhirter et al., 2013, p. 178).
When adolescents receive the information about alcohol and drugs from their peers, their attitudes to this information can be often discussed as positive (Clinton, Clark, & Straub, 2010, p. 121). The peer influence is one of the strongest indicators related to drug and alcohol use in adolescents.
Providing alcohol and drugs, peers create the first experience for other adolescents while affecting the attitude towards these substances (Hannigan & Delaney-Black, 2012, p. 890).
The other important factor is peer pressure. When adolescents reject provided substances or act against the peer group’s rules, they become isolated or oppressed (Hannigan & Delaney-Black, 2012, p. 890). As a result, the use of alcohol and substances is often a kind of avoiding the peer pressure.
Individual Characteristics
In spite of the significant role of the external factors as the relations of adolescents with parents and peers to influence the choice of alcohol and drugs, much attention should be paid to variables related to the youth inner world.
The first important factor is the low self-esteem. This factor drives a young person to win the respect of peers and their positive attitude with the focus on following their behavioral patterns (McWhirter et al., 2013, p. 179).
The other factor is the feelings of loneliness and isolation in the family, peer group, and community.
Adolescents are vulnerable in terms of received recognition, and they are inclined to concentrate on their doubts if they do not receive the enough recognition and support from the peers and relatives (“How to spot drug and alcohol use in teens”, 2013, p. 1).
Depressive moods can make adolescent avoid worries with the help of alcohol and drugs.
Predictors of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the Context of Legal and Ethical Issues
While focusing on the ethical and legal aspects of predicting adolescents’ substance and alcohol use in the context of the family, it is important to point at such aspects as the necessity of controlling the adolescents’ behaviors by parents and the necessity of making decisions regarding the adolescents’ treatment.
In the context of peer relations, adolescents should be guaranteed that their privacy is protected and the issue of confidentiality is addressed when they attend counselors or receive the necessary treatment. These two measures are important to avoid peers’ negative attitudes and pressure (Clinton et al., 2010, p. 123).
In addition, there are legal and ethical issues associated with substance users’ individual characteristics. Counselors, teachers, and parents need to realize the control over adolescents’ behaviors without the pressure, in order to prevent aggression and disobedience.
The other important point is the focus on activities to prevent harmful behaviors and crimes associated with alcohol and drug abuse.
Relations between Systems’ Risk Factors and At-Risk Youth’s Growth
Focusing on the family as the system within which an adolescent interacts, it is important to note that such parenting issues as the lack of communication and monitoring lead to worsening the relations with young people and to their further unpunished use of substances.
The character of relationship between relatives and adolescents changes when young people start using drugs because they become secretive and spend more time alone or with peers, and it is rather difficult to control adolescents’ actions in this situation.
The problems are also associated with the sphere of peer relations. Adolescents choose drugs and alcohol proposed by their friends because they are inclined to improve social relations and increase their status in the peer group. In this context, peer pressure is one of the most influential factors (McWhirter et al., 2013, p. 179).
While discussing the sphere of the adolescent’s individual development, it is important to state that risks are associated with the person’s difficulties at school and in personal relations.
Adolescents often demonstrate the lack of motivation to overcome barriers, and they choose drugs and alcohol instead of communicating with parents and teachers.
Conclusion
Factors that can predict the alcohol and substance use in adolescents can be divided into three categories, and they can be related to the family, peers, and individual characteristics.
In order to address the problem of alcohol and drug abuse in the youth, it is necessary to pay attention to these risky factors and focus on their connections with the aspects of adolescents’ attitude to substances and motivation.
References
Clinton, T., Clark, C., & Straub, J. (2010). The quick-reference guide to counseling teenagers. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Hannigan, J., & Delaney-Black, V. (2012). Faithful friends: Teen reporters of peer substance use. Addiction, 107(1), 885–891.
How to spot drug and alcohol use in teens: Guide for parents. (2013). The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 29(S5), 1-2.
McWhirter, J. J., McWhirter, B. T., McWhirter, E. H., & McWhirter, R. J. (2013). At-risk youth: A comprehensive response for counselors, teachers, psychologists and human service professionals. Belmont, TN: Brooks/Cole Publishers.