Substance Abuse in Young Persons: Does Nature or Nurture Prevail?
A study out of the University of Georgia is the first to examine the relationship between genetic risk factors and environment to determine substance abuse. A group of young people from rural African-American families were followed over four years, from ages 11-14. They were tested for a genetic predisposition to substance abuse and were also assessed for the presence of involved and supportive parenting.
Results of the study revealed that about 40 percent of the youth were genetically at risk for substance use. And, at age 14, 21 percent of the sample had smoked cigarettes, 42 percent had drunk alcohol, five percent had heavy alcohol use, and five percent had used marijuana.
Among the 14-year-olds possessing the genetic risk factor for substance use, those with low levels of involved and supportive parenting had three times the rate of substance use than youth with high levels of parental support. Among all youth with high levels of involved and supportive parenting – no matter the genetic risk – the difference in substance abuse was not significant. The authors of the study concluded that supportive parenting is an effective protective factor against substance use regardless of genetic predisposition.
Study author Steven Beach is quoted as saying, “In families that were characterized by strong relationships between children and their parents, the effect of the genetic risk was essentially zero… we’re finding that in many cases the best way to help children is to help families become more resilient.”
Questions for Discussion:
- Do you believe nature or nurture plays a larger role in substance abuse among young persons?
- How can we best encourage families to be supportive of their children?
- Does this finding imply that genetics do not play a very large role in trying to predict whether someone will struggle with substance dependence?
Your thoughts…
Comments:
 The comments on this study are insufficient for consumers of research to evaluate the results. What study of genetic vulnerability? So far as I know no one has found a strip of genetic material that creates vulnerability - so we are left with what was probably a survey of family history which does not give a clean genetic history. Nevertheless the non-convincingly derived study results came up with what we already know: The nature-nurture debate is over - the answer is its always BOTH! How many dollars went into this study? Yikes, this is what makes me want so see the dollars for research reduced!
The part of the problem that was ignored was the third factor - social context. Kids these days grow up seemingly oblivious of the dangers of excessive alcohol abuse. It is my observation that this derives from two causes 1) abuse of alcohol and sometimes drugs is pervasive in the adult world and youth see it every day, 2)youth are turned off by what appears to be the hypocritical hysteria about youth involvement with drugs. The data I have seen is that 75% of youth highschool age have had at least one episode of non-adult supervised drinking making that a normative experience. The date also indicated that 48% of youth have tried marijuana making this drug also a normative experience for youth. All youth in my city claim that they can ask one person in their high school to find any drug of abuse and that person has to go to only one more person and have them deliver their requested product to the consumer youth. Drugs and alcohol are pervasive in our society. There is no such thing as a drug free environment. Given this it is a testamemt to the good sense of most youth who make very deliberate and informed decisions on what they are going to try and what they wouldn't touch. In what ever decision they make they are well within a cultural norm - the norm of the society we have created for our youth by our own behavior. Those of us who are living in reality understand this and join youth in such a way assure that they will avoid severe addiction with opiates and stimulant products and will manage experimentation with other drugs within some safety parameters. Parents need to be alert and clear in their messages that they don't approve of use of any drugs, but recognize that their youth will and do make there own decisions. It is up to those who treat youth to practice a harm reduction approach and have faith that youth will have their adventures with drugs but will also stay safe from long term consequences. My biggest problem in dealing with drugs and alcohol use by teens is the hysteria of the media, the police and most adults, their repressive attitudes about youth and their ineffective shock and horror about youth running amok. When the adults themsleves are getting drunk and making a mess of their own lives and families their negative attitudes about youth are clearly projections of their disappointments with themselves.
Posted Friday, April 24, 2009 at 10:29 PM
There are many ways that drug abuse comes about. The thing is that most drug abuse is a social thing, it is not a genetic thing. There are many reasons for it. What I fault is that for those that have taken that first step into illicit drug use either by doctor, a medicine cabinet of their own or others, a friend, a family member that had a friend that had something to drink or smoke or take or shoot up in a vein, there is not much thought as to the fact that clean and sober still means that you don't do this kind of thing, not that you turn it into a legal thing to do. That doesn't make it any better to do or continue doing. Posted Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Post a Comment:
Return to
Current Featured Discussions Page Top |
