Palm Trees

Close Family Relationships May Help Protect Teens from Substance Abuse

A new Australian study suggests that close family relationships may protect teenagers from alcohol abuse. Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Centre for Youth Substance Research (CYSAR) and the Centre for Adolescent Health in Melbourne found that emotional closeness between fathers and daughters and between mothers and sons could protect young teens against substance abuse.

They also found that family conflict is more closely linked to girls' drinking than boys' drinking, due to the risk of exposure to alcohol abuse that adolescents face.

Associate professor Adrian Kelly said that the study shows that certain relationships within families may be very important in protecting teens, as they can provide a foundation for monitoring risky situations, such as peers who drink. Kelly added that this influence may be strongest during the pre-teen and early teen years.

For the study, the researchers used data from the Healthy Neighbourhoods study, which surveyed 7,500 adolescents living in Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.

The study found that alcohol use is a significant problem for many pre-teens. Nine percent of 11-year-old boys reported multiple instances of alcohol use, and six percent of 13-year-olds reported binge drinking, or consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion, in the past two weeks.

Kelly noted that parents should carefully consider how they plan to manage alcohol-related risk even before their kids become teenagers.

The Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research currently offers a preventative program for parents, providing them with strategies to help reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm.

Source: Medical News Today, Family Relationships May Protect Early Teens From Alcohol Use, Australia, June 7, 2011