Moms, Tell Your Kids If You Have Done Drugs

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 10 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Moms who have used drugs may be doing their teens a favour by admitting to it, University of Alberta research shows.

A survey of 3,530 Alberta youth Grades 7 to 12 revealed that teens were more likely to use drugs if they knew that their mothers had used drugs but did not pressure their kids to avoid the practice.

"The findings suggest that adolescents might benefit from parental talks about the dangers of drug use, especially when their mothers have experience with drugs," said researcher Lori Harach, a professor of human ecology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

"That factor may give extra credibility to the messaging in the eyes of the teen," she suggested.

Harach presented her findings recently at a conference organized by the Society for Research in Child Development.

Source:
Bev Betkowski
University of Alberta

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