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Drug abuse a cause, not effect, of health and social problems
by Scott Gilbreath ~ October 17th, 2008
It has long been observed that drug abuse by young teenagers is associated with social and health problems. But controversy persisted regarding what causes what: Do drugs and alcohol cause problems for adolescents, or are troubled kids more likely to abuse drugs? Are drugs bad for kids, or do bad kids do drugs?
New research supports the former hypothesis: Drugs appear to contribute directly to a host of social and health problems.
Drug or alcohol abuse among children under the age of 15 is a cause and not an effect of a host of health and social problems, research has suggested.
Early drinking and drug-taking raise the future risk of addiction, teenage pregnancy, failure at school, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and crime, independently of other factors that might predispose to these outcomes, scientists have determined.
The findings, from a study that followed people for 30 years, are particularly significant because they indicate that drug and alcohol abuse at a young age probably contributes directly to subsequent problems.
Lead researcher Dr Candice Odgers of the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, summarises some of the evidence indicating causation.
“Even adolescents with no prior history of behavioural problems or family history of substance use problems were at risk for poor health outcomes if they used substances prior to age 15. Universal interventions are required to ensure that all children — not only those entering early adolescence on an at-risk trajectory — require an adequate dose of prevention.”
It is important to note that, although the study strongly suggests that drugs cause later problems, this study alone cannot prove causation.
h/t: Family Edge
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