Family Life Cushions Teens Against Trouble

With substance abuse among teens rising to alarming levels, many parents may take some comfort in one study’s findings that the better their relationship is with their kids, the less likely the kids are to drink and take drugs.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that teenagers who experienced more family strife--believing that their parents were critical and not supportive--purposely distanced themselves from their families by becoming more involved with friends who used alcohol.

The study was conducted among 6,500 sixth-, seventh-and eighth-graders--the ages when kids begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

Adolescents who were from closely knit families and maintained an intimate connection with their parents based on trust and open communication were less likely to use alcohol. Researchers founds there was nothing wrong with keeping tabs on teenagers. It’s how it’s done that is the key.

“Monitoring your child’s activities shows that you care,” says James H. Bray, a coauthor of the study.

“But there’s a big difference between that and controlling your kid, which can be suffocating and spark the rebellious behavior that leads to substance abuse.”