The Relationships Between Parents and Teens: Attachment, Support, Conflicts and Other Factors Influencing the Development of Substance Use in Adolescence

The consequences of substance misuse in adolescence are profound. Teens that start using drugs early in life are more likely to have a number of problems in adulthood, including difficulties in school, careers and relationships. Additionally, Substance use among adolescents has repercussions felt throughout society: increased criminal activity, violent behaviors, and increased health care costs. Decades of scientific research has developed promising methods for identifying risk factors and treatments for the problem of adolescent substance use. Unfortunately, few conclusive answers have emerged regarding why adolescents start using substances in the first place, how experimental use progresses to misuse in some teens and not others, and how family, peer, cultural and other factors combine to influence teen's use of substances. This book examines how parent-adolescent attachment, relationship qualities, and parental monitoring combine to influence the frequency of alcohol and drug use among teens, and how these factors contribute to the adverse consequences experienced by teens who use drugs and alcohol.