Kelsey Ort

HDFS 129H
Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

Teenage substance abuse has been an ongoing issue for decades. Since the emergence of
this substance abuse, there have been many conflicting opinions about how to best handle this
issue in an effective parenting style.
The first popular media source comes from the Saturday Evening Post and was published
in 1964. Entitled Dope invades the suburbs, this article highlights the growing issue of
substance abuse among adolescents and also discusses how parents decided to get involved in the
matter during this period of time in American history throughout many cities. According to the
article, drug use was spreading through the commuter suburbs flanking many major American
cities (Goldman, 1964). Substance abuse was shifting to middle and upper class adolescents,
some of whom come from beautiful homes (Goldman, 1964). The adolescents used their good
fortune to their benefit: "While their parents are at some cocktail party, the kids drink, gulp down
pills, and away they go toward marijuana and heroin." As the addiction issue began to grow, the
issue of how to parent this type of behavior also arose. The parents adopted an attitude of
ignoring the real problems. They were, in essence, in denial of the fact that substance abuse was
present in their households (Goldman, 1964). This was a time period in which teenagers roamed
fairly free in these areas, and the parents had little knowledge about the lives of their children.
One father even claimed to not know who [his] sons friends were or where he went at night
(Goldman, 1964), and as a result this led to ignorance on the parents part and their parenting
style was very relaxed and uninvolved.

The second popular media source is entitled Parenting Strategies. Developed in 2014,
these guidelines help parents to direct their adolescents to better life choices after falling prey to
drug and alcohol use. Some of these guidelines include being a good role model, establishing
family rules and then monitoring the child, preparing for peer influence, dealing with substance
use, adolescent parties, and the parent to child relationship (Yap, 2015). Being a good role model
is important because children are very impressionable during the adolescent years. Warning
your adolescent about the dangers of drinking will not be effective if you do not set a good
example yourself (Yap, 2015). Additionally, as a child approaches adolescence, friends and
fitting in becomes very important, but obtaining acceptance from peers can be difficult (Yap,
2015). This article gives parents helpful hints to warn their adolescents about the dangers of
succumbing to peer pressure as well as dealing with the issues that are associated with substance
abuse.
There are a few similarities evident between the two popular media sources. One
similarity is the fact that the real world is inherently risky and carries with it many temptations
and pressures that prey upon individuals in their prime adolescent years. Additionally, both
media sources recognize the fact that substance abuse among the adolescent population is wrong
and has been a growing problem for decades. The differences between the two sources,
however, arise in the way they discuss and seek to deal with the issues at hand. The first tells the
story of a suburban neighborhood whose citizens chose to ignore their parental roles and simply
avoided the issues of drug and alcohol use with which their teenagers were dealing. In contrast,
the second sets up many strategies and techniques for parents in todays society to deal with the
very issues that the parents in the 1960s chose to ignore. The first source deals entirely with
stating that there is, in fact, a problem among teenagers with substance abuse, but it does not

touch on the topic of how to solve the problem. On the opposing end of the spectrum, the second
source dives deep into the roots of the issue and strategizes ways to rectify the situation as best as
possible. Ultimately, the two media sources have a few similarities but are overall dissimilar.
The issue of substance abuse in the adolescent age range has been thoroughly studied,
and substantial research on the topic has been established. According to the Journal of Studies
on Alcohol and Drugs, these substances are important contributors to preventable harm in
young adults (Minaie, 2015, p.672). As a direct result of the consequences of alcohol and drug
use, the delay of the use of these substances has become a global effort (Minaie, 2015, p.674).
Along with the delay of the use of alcohol comes the controversy of whether or not it is
acceptable for parents to allow their underage children to drink at home under their supervision.
Someparentsbelievethatallowingadolescentstodrinkathomeisdevelopmentally
protective[as]thehomerepresentsasupervisedandcontrolledenvironmentinwhich
adolescentscanlearntodrinkresponsibly,wheretheallureofalcoholasaforbiddenfruitis
minimized(Cooper&Levitt,2015,p.662).Manyindividualsbelievethatthiswillinstill
commonsenseinteenagerstodrinkresponsively;however,therearemanynegativefactors
associatedwiththis.[Allowingunderagedrinking]condonesanillegalbehaviorthatcarries
potentiallysignificanthealthrisks(Cooper&Levitt,2015,p.663).Themajorityofresearch
sideswiththistheoryanddoesnotbelievethatallowingunderagedrinkingisproductivebyany
means.
Researchshowsthatthereiswithoutadoubtanassociationbetweenadolescentproblem
behavioranddeficitsinparentalsupportandcontrol(Barrera&Stice,1995,p.327).A
longitudinalstudydepictshowparentswhoarenotsupportiveanddonottakeactivepartintheir

adolescentslifewillseeahigherrateofproblematicbehavior.Asanindividualgrowsand
develops,heneedsastrongsupportsystemaroundwhichhecansurroundhimselfwhichmay,in
turn,haveapositiveeffectonthelackofproblematicbehaviorthattheadolescentexhibits
(Barrera&Stice,1995,328).
Onescientificjournalputparticularemphasisonwhichparentingstyleismosteffective
inprotectingagainstadolescentsubstanceabuse.Thefindingsreportedthatboth indulgent and
authoritative parenting styles were associated with better outcomes than authoritarian and
neglectful parenting in all the countries studied (Calafat, 2014, 185). This demonstrates that
parents who exhibited warmth with or without strictness saw less problems with their
adolescents in regards to substance abuse than the parents who were only strict or showed no
warmth or strictness at all. Similarly, another journal researched the associations between
perceived authoritative parenting and early adolescent substance abuse (Fletcher & Jefferies,
1999, 474). After the study was completed, the research suggested that perceived parental
disciplinary consequences of engaging in substance use mediated associations between perceived
authoritative parenting and girls substance use (Fletcher & Jefferies, 1999, 476). While boys
substance use was not linked, there is still evidence to support the fact that authoritative
parenting style is effective in minimizing substance use among adolescents.
When comparing the scholarly articles to the two popular media sources, it is made quite
obvious that the popular media source from 1964 does not follow what the research suggests,
while the more recent media source does. All of the research proves that parents must play an
integral role in raising their children, and this includes the adolescent years when experimenting
with drugs and alcohol begins to become a reality. Contrary to this research, the first media

source focused on the parents staying out of the lives of their children and being unaware of the
goings on within their household and community. However, the second source offered valuable
strategies that reinforce the research and put the parents on the front lines of trying to end the
substance use or prevent it from taking place all together. In essence, the two popular media
sources varied immensely, and it is easily shown against the scientific research that the most
recent article gives the most accurate insight into what is necessary for a parent to accomplish in
order to maintain a drug and alcohol free home.
After reviewing both popular media sources as well as the scholarly articles, there are
several pieces of advice I have for parents on this topic. I would tell them that the most
important thing is for them to be upfront with their children and play an active role in their lives.
It is imperative that parents know with whom their children are interacting, and it is equally
important to know the types of pressures that peer groups may be placing on the teenager.
Similarly, the parents must develop an effective parenting style that will work well in their
household. Since all families are different, the parenting style and strategies used will need to be
altered accordingly; however, maintaining an authoritative or indulgent parenting style is likely
going to heed the best results. It is best that the parent displays warmth and understanding to the
adolescent to develop a sense of trust and establish a positive relationship. Whether or not the
parent needs to add a level of strictness will depend on each situation and will ultimately depend
on the displayed behavior of the adolescent. A certain amount of strictness will probably be
needed to ensure that the adolescent understands that the parent is the one in control of the
household choices and decisions, but not use so much force that the teenager feels too sheltered
and trapped. Ultimately, the most important aspect of ensuring that parents appropriately
respond to the issue of substance use in their home is to simply be involved in their childs life.

Works Cited
Barrera, M., Stice, E. (1995). A longitudinal examination of the reciprocal relations
between perceived parenting and adolescents substance use and externalizing behaviors. The
American Psychological Association, 31(2), 322-334. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/614323716/fulltextPDF?
accountid=13158
Calafat, A. (2014). Which parenting style is more protective against adolescent substance
use? Evidence within the European context. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 138(1), 185-192.
Retrieved from sciencedirect.com.
Cooper, M. L., Levitt, A. (2015). Should parents allow their adolescent children to drink
at home? Family factors as predictors of alcohol involvement trajectories over 15 years. Journal
of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(4), 661-670. Retrieved from alcoholstudies.rutgters.edu.
Fletcher, A. C., Jefferies, B. C. (1999). Parental mediators of associations between
perceived authoritative parenting and early adolescent substance use. The Journal of Early
Adolescence, 19(4), 465-487. Retrieved from jea.sagepub.com.
Goldman, R. (1964). Dope invades the suburbs. Saturday Evening Post.
Minaie, M. G. (2015). Parenting style and behavior as longitudinal predictors of
adolescent alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(5), 671-679. Retrieved from
alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu.
Yap, M. (2015). Preventing adolescent alcohol misuse. Parenting Strategies.