The Impact of Substance Abuse on the Adolescent Population

The Impact of Substance Abuse on the Adolescent Population

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Introduction

Understanding the scope of drug use and addiction in the world includes knowing the prevalence among various populations and researching the many health and social consequences . The United States is both the largest producer of drug research in the world and the world 's only drug-control superpower ' The simultaneous leadership in social science and world agenda setting is not the result of a symbiotic relationship between American research and policy making .During adolescence , friends and

peers become far more influential than before and intimate dating relationships become primary interests (Laursen Williams , 1997 . Along with these important developmental changes however , come increased risks of pregnancy , sexually transmitted disease , and abuse by and toward dating partners (Leaper Anderson 1997 . As well , alcohol and drug use and abuse enters the picture , which may contribute to the occurrence of the other risk behaviors (Milgram 1993 National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse , 1999 . Although some of these developments are harmless , there is a growing awareness of the importance of education and prevention to increase teens ' personal safety and responsibility

Not surprisingly , prominent adolescent risk behaviors are alcohol and drug abuse , unsafe sexual behavior , and dating violence-share many of the same contributing risk factors , although to important and differing degrees . These include problems related to the family , such as family conflict and violence , poor relationship attachment , early and persistent behavior problems , as well as peer and academic problems such as school failure , peer rejection , and exposure to community violence . In addition to the above , teen pregnancy , early sexual intercourse , and risky sexual behaviors are associated with early onset of puberty , truancy , and delinquency (Kilpatrick , Acierno , Saunders Resnick Best , 2000 . In the absence of compensatory factors , such as education and social competence , these varied risk factors can contribute to or become risk behaviors (e .g , alcohol use is associated with teen pregnancy and violence

Common Elements

A common family element found among teens who engage in these high risk behaviors is the amount of time spent without proper adult involvement or supervision (Dishion , Capaldi , Spracklen Li , 2005 . Not surprisingly , children who grow up in caring and supportive homes are more likely to resist risky behaviors , while children who have grown up witnessing or experiencing alcohol abuse or violence in their homes having poor family structure and insecure attachment-related experiences are more likely to be less resistant to these same risky , unhealthy behaviors

A of the age , gender , and ethnic identities of youth who engage in high risk behavior is provided by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance , which tracks data regarding many health risk behaviors for adolescents in the United States . According to this data , black youth for example , report significantly higher rates of sexual intercourse before age 13 than do Whites and Hispanics , while White youth report the highest levels of forced sexual intercourse . Black youth also report less alcohol consumption at last sexual intercourse and higher condom use than do...