Social Causes of Drug Abuse - Essay Example

In childhood, one's family is the model for social norms and acceptable behavior. Thus it stands to reason that a child's family has the most significant sway over the lifestyle choices that the child will make in the future. Studies have shown that parents' perceived positive or neutral attitudes towards drug use tends to increase their child's likelihood of engaging in drug use (McDonald, Towberman). Parents' direct involvement in some form of substance abuse also increases their child's likelihood of developing a substance abuse problem.

In a 1988 study conducted on drug use and familial attitude toward substance use, 25.4% of teenagers who admitted to having used drugs had at least one parent who was a heavy drinker (McDonald, Towberman). Furthermore, the child's relationship with his or her parents also affects his/her likelihood of drug experimentation. Studies have shown that children with strong and healthy relationships with their parents are less likely to use drugs (McDonald, Towberman). . On the other hand, though, studies have found that teenage drug users are likely to have either authoritarian or uninvolved parents (Jenkins).

The most consistent risk factor in studies on teenage drug use is peer influence. A study was conducted which analyzed significant risk factors in teenagers in grades 8, 10, and 12. In all three grades, the most significant predictors of drug use, ranked from most to least significant, were (1) number of drug-using friends, (2) average grade in school, and (3) involvement in an enjoyable extracurricular activity (Jenkins). In grades 8 and 10, average grade and involvement in extracurricular activities pose a substantial variance, but in grade 12, they have little to no significant determination on the likelihood of the teenager's use of drugs.

The study ultimately found that, overall, involvement in extracurricular activities or after-school employment have little to no bearing on the prediction of future drug abuse. One study found that the number of drug-abusing friends a teenager had and a positive attitude towards drug-use accounted for 55% of the variance in drug use, with the number of drug-using peers accounting for twice as much variance as a favorable attitude towards drug-use (Jenkins). While these studies clarify the definite link between the likelihood of drug use and the number of drug-using friends a teenager has, they do not tell us whether drug use results from these relationships or whether teens with a proclivity for substance abuse tend to gravitate together. R. Michael McDonald and Donna B.

Towberman suggest that the most effective deterrent to future drug abuse is to encourage children to bond with their parents and other children