New Report on Parent Awareness of Youth Substance Use

Data from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate that 17.0 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 used cigarettes in the past year, 32.9 percent used alcohol, and 13.2 percent used marijuana. Parents are encouraged to communicate with their children about drugs and alcohol, and some research has examined the extent to which parents are aware of their children's drug and alcohol use. Studies focusing on the general population have found high levels of parent awareness of adolescent cigarette use, but awareness of alcohol use is low; findings on parent awareness of adolescent marijuana use are mixed.

The following are brief findings in the report:

			Youth substance use in the past year was generally higher within one-parent households than within two-parent households for both mother-child and father-child pairs and was generally highest among youth in father-child pairs within one-parent households.
			Parent awareness of youth use of cigarettes and alcohol in the past year increased with the youth's increasing age among both mother-child and father-child pairs.
			Rates of parent awareness of youth substance use in the past year were generally higher among mothers in mother-child pairs than among fathers in father-child pairs and were generally highest among mothers in mother-child pairs within one-parent households.

Download NSDUH Report:
Parent Awareness of Youth Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana   (313 KB)

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