Family risk factors for cannabis use: a population-based survey of Australian secondary school students

Illicit drug use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans and gender diverse, queer and asexual young people in Australia: Intersections and associated outcomes

INTRODUCTION

High rates of illicit drug use have been reported among gay and bisexual young men, however limited research has examined patterns of drug use among the broader population of lesbian, pansexual, trans and gender diverse, asexual and queer (LGBTQA) young people. We examined factors associated with illicit drug use in the past 6 months and lifetime experiences of self-reported concern with drug use among LGBTQA youth in Australia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 6418 LGBTQA participants aged 14-21 years, 5914 of whom provided information relating to their use of illicit drugs. Multivariable logistic regressions examined demographic factors and life experiences associated with drug use in the past 6 months and lifetime experiences of self-reported concern with drug use.

RESULTS

Overall, 26.4% of participants aged 14-17 and 41.9% aged 18-21 reported any drug use in the past 6 months, of whom 23.5% had ever been concerned about their drug use. Cannabis use was most commonly reported (28.3%), followed by ecstasy/MDMA (7.1%), antidepressants (5.6%) and LSD (3.5%). Higher odds of drug use were reported among cisgender men and those who had experienced homelessness or sexual harassment in the past 12 months. Higher odds of self-identified concern about drug use were observed among participants reporting challenging life experiences.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Rates of illicit drug use among LGBTQA young people in this study were considerably higher than those observed in general population youth studies in Australia and were further elevated among those who had experienced LGBTQA-related prejudice or harassment, or homelessness.

Cannabis Use and Parenting Practices among Young People: The Impact of Parenting Styles, Parental Cannabis-Specific Rules, and Parental Cannabis Use

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug. Its use typically starts in adolescence, and parents play a key role in young people’s cannabis use. Our study aimed to examine and compare the effects of parenting styles, parental cannabis-specific rules, and parental cannabis use on young people’s cannabis use. The research sample consisted of 839 students from various secondary education programs in Slovenia, aged 14 to 21. Associations between the young people’s lifetime cannabis use and their experience of parenting practices were assessed using logistic regression, with demographic, socioeconomic, educational, health, and risk behaviors controlled in a multivariate model. Maternal authoritative parenting (in comparison with permissive parenting), strict maternal, cannabis-specific rules, and parental cannabis non-use statistically significantly reduced the likelihood of young people’s cannabis use. Its strongest predictor was parental cannabis use, followed by the mother’s specific cannabis-use rules and maternal parenting style. The findings of our study can contribute to the development of public health policies to more effectively prevent cannabis use among adolescents and emerging adults, including by designing prevention programs aimed at strengthening parents’ general and cannabis-specific practices and competences.

Cannabis use, self-perceived risk, perceived peer approval and parental attitudes among youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis

AIM

Cannabis use is associated with greater likelihood of psychosis. The relationship between attitudes about cannabis and use has not been examined in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. Additionally, the shifting legal landscape can provide a valuable context for evaluating use and related attitudes.

METHODS

This study included 174 participants (44 CHR, 43 healthy control [HC] youth-parent dyads). Youth completed measures of self-reported cannabis use confirmed with a urinalysis, self-perceived risk and perceived peer attitudes. Parents reported attitudes about youth use. Legalization occurred halfway during a 5-year study in Colorado, providing an opportunity to cross-sectionally examine its role in use and attitudes.

RESULTS

Frequency of youth reporting cannabis use was significantly higher in CHR (69%) than control group (30%). Use in CHR group was associated with higher perceived peer approval (r = .57), increased parental permissiveness (r = .28) and lower self-perceived risk (r = -.26). Comparing samples participating pre and post-legalization, use remained stable within each group. Group differences in parental permissiveness shifted; trend toward decrease in permissiveness in CHR group (η²_partial  = .07) and a significant increase in HCs (η²_partial  = .16) were observed. Post-legalization, use in CHR group correlated with higher perceived peer approval (r = .64), lower self-perceived risk (r = -.51) and higher parental permissiveness (r = .35, trend).

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, results indicate a relationship between self and peer/parental attitudes about cannabis and use in youth at CHR for psychosis. These factors are important to consider within the legalization context given the changes in parental attitudes and a stronger association between use and attitudes in this group post-legalization.

Does parental permissiveness toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use influence illicit drug use among adolescents? A longitudinal study in seven European countries

PURPOSE

Adolescents' perceptions of parental norms may influence their substance use. The relationship between parental norms toward cigarette and alcohol use, and the use of illicit substances among their adolescent children is not sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze this relationship, including gender differences, using longitudinal data from a large population-based study.

METHODS

The present study analyzed longitudinal data from 3171 12- to 14-year-old students in 7 European countries allocated to the control arm of the European Drug Addiction Prevention trial. The impact of parental permissiveness toward cigarettes and alcohol use reported by the students at baseline on illicit drug use at 6-month follow-up was analyzed through multilevel logistic regression models, stratified by gender. Whether adolescents' own use of cigarette and alcohol mediated the association between parental norms and illicit drug use was tested through mediation models.

RESULTS

Parental permissive norms toward cigarette smoking and alcohol use at baseline predicted adolescents' illicit drug use at follow-up. The association was stronger among boys than among girls and was mediated by adolescents' own cigarette and alcohol use.

CONCLUSION

Perceived parental permissiveness toward the use of legal drugs predicted adolescents' use of illicit drugs, especially among boys. Parents should be made aware of the importance of norm setting, and supported in conveying clear messages of disapproval of all substances.

Who are the adolescents saying "No" to cannabis offers

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Adolescents who refuse direct cannabis offers and remain non-users represent a potentially very informative, yet surprisingly understudied group. We examined a range of risk and protective factors putatively associated with this poorly understood "cannabis-resilient" profile.

METHODS

Paper-and-pencil questionnaires assessing substance use, peer and family relations, and behavioral and personality characteristics were completed by 19,303 middle- and high-school students from 82 schools in Norway (response rate 84%)

RESULTS

The lifetime prevalence of cannabis use was 7.6%. Another 10.4% reported no use of the drug despite having received recent cannabis offers. Results from the multinomial logistic regression revealed a set of characteristics differentiating adolescents who resisted such offers from those who: (a) neither received the offers nor used, and, more importantly, (b) used the drug. Specifically, parent-child relationship quality, negative drug-related beliefs, absence of close relationships with cannabis-users, low delinquency, no regular tobacco use, and infrequent alcohol intoxication were all associated with increased odds of being in the cannabis-resilient vs. cannabis-user group. This pattern of results was comparable across middle- and high-school cohorts, but the parent-child relationship quality and delinquency were significantly associated with cannabis-resilient vs. cannabis-use outcome only among younger and older adolescents, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Among other low-risk characteristics, better relationships with parents and beliefs that drug use is problematic were associated with adolescents' refusals to accept cannabis offers. These results may have implications for novel preventive strategies targeting cannabis-exposed adolescents.

The role of general parenting and cannabis-specific parenting practices in adolescent cannabis and other illicit drug use

AIMS

To investigate general and cannabis-specific parenting practices in relation to adolescent cannabis and other illicit drug use.

METHODS

Data were derived from the Dutch National School Survey on Substance Use among students (N=3209; aged 12-16 years) and one of their parents in 2011.

RESULTS

Logistic regression analyses revealed that 1) parental cannabis use was significantly related to more adolescent lifetime and recent cannabis use, and 2) restrictive cannabis-specific parental rules were associated with less adolescent recent cannabis and lifetime use of other illicit drugs, even when controlled for sociodemographic factors, general parenting, adolescent tobacco use, and tobacco-specific parenting. In addition, no significant interaction was observed between parental cannabis use and cannabis-specific rules in their relation to adolescent cannabis and other illicit drug use, indicating that cannabis rules are evenly associated with adolescent drug use for families with and without parental cannabis experience.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to general parenting practices, restrictive cannabis-specific rules are related to lower adolescent cannabis and other illicit drug rates. Parents who ever used cannabis have children with a higher prevalence of cannabis use. However, their restrictive cannabis-specific rules are equally related to a lower chance of adolescent cannabis use.

Quantification of the influence of friends and antisocial behaviour in adolescent consumption of cannabis using the ZINB model and data mining

Cannabis is the most consumed illegal drug in Europe and its repercussions are more important when taken up at an early age. The aim of this study is to analyse and quantify the predictive value of different personal, family and environmental variables on the consumption of cannabis in adolescence. The sample is made up of 9284 adolescents (47.1% boys and 52.9% girls) with an average age of 15.59 years (SE=1.17). The ZINB model highlights, as factors that increase the number of joints consumed per week, consumption by the peer group, nights out during the week, gender, the production of forbidden behaviour and the use of other substances, whereas the risk factors for the consumption of cannabis are consumption by friends, ease of access, production of forbidden behaviour and the use of other substances. Association rules highlight the relationship between cannabis consumption, ease of access, production of forbidden behaviour and tobacco consumption. Finally, decision trees enable us to predict cannabis consumption as well as the number of joints an adolescent will consume per week based on the production of forbidden behaviour, consumption of other substances and number of friends who consume cannabis. The results of this work have practical implications concerning the prevention of cannabis consumption in an adolescent population.

Family predictors of parent participation in an adolescent drug abuse prevention program

Low participation rates constitute a serious problem faced by family drug abuse prevention programs. In this study we analyse the factors related to participation in a Life Skills Training program implemented in three schools in Spain. Participants in the study were 485 pupils aged 12 - 14 years and their respective parents. The variables that predicted participation in the program were: number of children and educational level of parents, children's drug use, family conflict, parental rearing style, relationships between parents and children and family communication. The results from Spain are similar to those found in international studies, and indicate that the families most at risk of drug use are those least likely to participate in prevention programs. There is a need for strategies to increase participation in prevention programs of the families most at risk.

When the levee breaks: treating adolescents and families in the aftermath of hurricane katrina

Hurricane Katrina brought to the surface serious questions about the capacity of the public health system to respond to community-wide disaster. The storm and its aftermath severed developmentally protective family and community ties; thus its consequences are expected to be particularly acute for vulnerable adolescents. Research confirms that teens are at risk for a range of negative outcomes under conditions of life stress and family disorganization. Specifically, the multiple interacting risk factors for substance abuse in adolescence may be compounded when families and communities have experienced a major trauma. Further, existing service structures and treatments for working with young disaster victims may not address their risk for co-occurring substance abuse and traumatic stress reactions because they tend to be individually or peer group focused, and fail to consider the multi-systemic aspects of disaster recovery. This article proposes an innovative family-based intervention for young disaster victims, based on an empirically supported model for adolescent substance abuse, Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT; Liddle, 2002). Outcomes and mechanisms of the model's effects are being investigated in a randomized clinical trial with clinically referred substance-abusing teens in a New Orleans area community impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

Social inequalities in changes in health-related behaviour among Slovak adolescents aged between 15 and 19: a longitudinal study

Background

Lower socioeconomic position is generally associated with higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption and lower levels of physical activity. Health-related behaviour is usually established during late childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study is to explore changes in health-related behaviour in a cohort of adolescents aged between 15 and 19, overall and by socioeconomic position.

Methods

The sample consisted of 844 first-year students (42.8% males, baseline in 1998 – mean age 14.9, follow-up in 2002 – mean age 18.8) from 31 secondary schools located in Kosice, Slovakia. This study focuses on changes in adolescents' smoking, alcohol use, experience with marijuana and lack of physical exercise with regard to their socioeconomic position. Four indicators of socioeconomic position were used – adolescents' current education level and employment status, and the highest education level and highest occupational status of their parents. We first made cross tabulations of HRB with these four indicators, using McNemar's test to assess differences. Next, we used logistic regression to assess adjusted associations, using likelihood ratio tests to assess statistical significance.

Results

Statistically significant increases were found in all health-related behaviours. Among males, the most obvious socioeconomic gradient was found in smoking, both at age 15 and at 19. Variations in socioeconomic differences in health-related behaviour were more apparent among females. Although at age 15, almost no socioeconomic differences in health-related behaviour were found, at age 19 differences were found for almost all socioeconomic indicators. Among males, only traditional socioeconomic gradients were found (the lower the socioeconomic position, the higher the prevalence of potentially harmful health-related behaviour), while among females reverse socioeconomic gradients were also found.

Conclusion

We confirmed an increase in unhealthy health-related behaviour during adolescence. This increase was related to socioeconomic position, and was more apparent in females.

Socioeconomic status and health behaviors in adolescence: a review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this review was to determine the direction of associations between SES and health behaviors during the period of adolescence.

METHOD

We searched the PsychInfo and Pubmed databases for studies that measured the association between SES and cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, diet, and physical activity in adolescents between 10- and 21-years old.

RESULTS

Associations between SES and health behaviors conformed to two patterns. First, low SES was associated with poorer diets, less physical activity, and greater cigarette smoking. Second, there was no clear pattern of associations between SES and alcohol consumption or marijuana use.

CONCLUSION

Results from this review indicate that, although some associations between SES and health behaviors exist during adolescence, the associations are not as robust as those in adulthood. Efforts to curb poor diet, inactivity, and smoking behaviors should target low SES adolescents, whereas efforts to curb teen drinking and marijuana use may be useful across the SES spectrum.

The role of the family in preventing and intervening with substance use and misuse: a comprehensive review of family interventions, with a focus on young people

The family plays a key part in both preventing and intervening with substance use and misuse, both through inducing risk, and/or encouraging and promoting protection and resilience. This review examines a number of family processes and structures that have been associated with young people commencing substance use and later misuse, and concludes that there is significant evidence for family involvement in young people's taking up, and later misusing, substances. Given this family involvement, the review explores and appraises interventions aimed at using the family to prevent substance use and misuse amongst young people. The review concludes that there is a dearth of methodologically highly sound research in this area, but the research that has been conducted does suggest strongly that the family can have a central role in preventing substance use and later misuse amongst young people.