Parents can prevent or delay their children's use of alcohol and marijuana by setting clear rules and expectations, according to a new study.The study by researchers at the University of Washington further showed parental rules work even if relationships between parents and children seem strained during the teen years.
The study examined patterns of adolescents' first use of alcohol and marijuana. It used data from a large ongoing study of more than 800 Seattle, Wash., school children, which began in 1985.
"We know from previous research that kids who initiate substance use early are at greater risk for having problems with these substances later on," said Rick Kosterman, a research scientist with the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group and lead author of the paper. "We found that good parenting can make a big difference in preventing early alcohol and marijuana use. Good parenting includes having clear family rules, knowing where your kids are and who they are with, rewarding good behavior, and having consistent and moderate discipline."
According to the report, at age 10 a quarter of the children in the study group had tried alcohol, while 3 percent had tried marijuana. By age 13, 64 percent of the teens had experimented with alcohol, while 13 percent had tried marijuana. By age 18, 88 percent of children in the study had tried alcohol, while 37 percent had tried marijuana.
David Hawkins, director of the University of Washington's Social Development Research Group and a co-author of the study, said the difference in the patterns of first use of alcohol and marijuana "reflects a perceived agreement in this country that alcohol is the drug of choice that is ultimately accepted by adults."
He added, "Not surprisingly, many children think alcohol is acceptable in the early teen years. It is readily accessible and available. It is the first substance that most young children will try, moreso than tobacco, which has more negative messages attached to it."
The report made several recommendations for parents. "You need to sit down with your children and tell them what your hopes for their future are and set clear expectations," said Hawkins. "If you are going to set a no-drinking policy you need to say why and make the message clear. Just trying to be a good friend isn't enough. Once children try alcohol, parents cannot predict who will or will not develop problems with it."
Hawkins said parents also should "monitor their kids and keep track of them in a nonintrusive way. Children need to know if they violate rules that there will be consequences. They also need to know that if they follow the rules they will get family recognition. This is important in reinforcing the rules. We are too often good at noticing the bad and terrible at noticing the good in our children."
Researchers also stressed that parents should not give up on their standards and good parenting even if teens express anger, antipathy or distance in response to their parents' efforts.
"These efforts and school prevention programs can help blunt the influence on teens of peers, siblings and others who use substances," the researchers wrote.
The study is published in theMarch 2000 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
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