Abstract
Objective: The present study examined the communication patterns between children and parents regarding substance use and abuse issues. Method: The participants for the study were 111 youth and young adults (59.8% female/40.2% male). The youth were between the ages of 13 - 18. Results: Findings from the study supported the hypothesis. Results demonstrated that higher family cohesion suggested lower drug use. However, findings also identified a potential gap in the communication process among parents and youth. The majority of the youth from the qualitative analysis who admitted to using drugs stated that their parents usually say, “Do not use drugs.” However, their parents “have never provided open discussions about drugs.” Conclusion: This project expands our knowledge on parental communication and drug use among youth. A continuation of this research would assist with providing a deeper understanding of the parent-child relationship and drug use and abuse among African American youth.
Highlights
In 2001, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 6.1 millionHow to cite this paper: Boyd, K., Perkins, P., Greenberg, B., & Stevens, L. (2014)
The majority of the participants in this study were African American, comprising 69.1% of the sample; approximately 4.5% of the sample identified themselves as Caucasian, .9% identified themselves as Native American or Indian, and 10% reported being mixed or biracial
19.8% of the sample reported they had never tried alcohol, 50.5% admitted they took their first drink of alcohol around the age of 13 or older, 8.1% took their first drink between the ages of 10 - 11, and 5.4% admit that they were between 8 - 9 years old when they took their first drink of alcohol
Summary
In 2001, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 6.1 millionHow to cite this paper: Boyd, K., Perkins, P., Greenberg, B., & Stevens, L. (2014). Dawson, Grant, Stinson, & Chou (2004) offered that approximately 18% of college students (ages 18 - 24) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence within the previous year. Between 2003 and 2005, substance use disorders increased by 1 million people (SAMHSA, 2003). This abuse and dependence does not occur overnight and is likely evolving during late childhood and early adolescence
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