US Parents Feel They Cannot Stop Substance Abuse Among Their Teenaged Children

More than 20 percent of parents in the US believe that they can do little in preventing their teenage children from indulging in illegal substance abuse, a new survey revealed.

The survey was carried out by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and involved more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12 years. The researchers found that over 22.3 percent of the parents of children between 12 and 17 years of age believed that they had little or no influence in stopping their children from substance abuse.

The survey also found that around 10 percent of parents had not even thought of talking about the substance abuse problem with their children though 67.7 percent of the parents who had not talked about it believed that their children would listen to their advice if they talked about it.

"Any time is a good time to talk to your kids when you have a chance. But if you haven't started talking to your kids, before school gets out is an especially good time. In the summer months, especially around holiday weekends, kids are more likely to get involved with substances", SAMHSA's director of the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Peter Delany said.


Source: Medindia