Teens’ views on cannabis are related to perceptions of parental use

Summary: Adolescents who perceive that their parents use cannabis are more likely to have a positive attitude toward the drug and express an intention to try it. The effects of parental perceptions of cannabis use vary by parental gender, with proximity to mothers and fathers influencing adolescents’ attitudes differently.

For boys in particular, parental monitoring was found to be a protective factor that reduced positive attitudes toward cannabis. Researchers emphasize that open, honest conversations about cannabis, combined with clear boundaries, can help reduce the appeal of cannabis to youth.

Important facts:

• Adolescents who are aware of their parents’ cannabis use have more positive attitudes toward the drug.
• Proximity to cannabis-using mothers is associated with greater intention to use cannabis.
• Parental monitoring significantly reduces boys’ positive attitudes toward cannabis.

Source: Washington State University

Teens who believe their parents use cannabis are more likely to have positive attitudes toward the drug and consider trying it themselves, according to a new study from Washington State University.

The study, published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, also shows that parental monitoring and the closeness of parent-child relationships play a crucial role in adolescents’ attitudes towards cannabis, often with different effects depending on the gender of the parents.

The findings could ultimately help parents who use cannabis develop more effective strategies for communicating about the drug’s health risks with their children, especially in states like Washington where cannabis is legal and mixed societal messages make discussing substance use difficult.

“Parents need to realize that their use is important,” said Stacey JT Hust, lead author of the study and a professor of communications at WSU.

“When teens perceive that their parents are using cannabis, whether they actually do or not, it can send the message that the behavior is acceptable to them too, especially without explicit conversations that set boundaries for the teen.”

For the study, the WSU team surveyed 276 youth ages 13 to 17 in Washington state about their perceptions of parental cannabis use, their closeness to their parents and the level of parental monitoring in their lives.

Key findings show that 32% of teenagers believed their fathers had used cannabis, while 25% believed their mothers had used cannabis. These perceptions were strongly associated with reduced negative attitudes toward cannabis and increased intention to use it.

Interestingly, the study found that the influence of parental closeness varied by gender. Adolescents living near mothers who were not cannabis users reported lower intentions to use cannabis.

Conversely, adolescents who were close to cannabis-using mothers showed more positive attitudes and stronger intentions to use the substance. For fathers, closeness was associated with more positive attitudes toward cannabis use, regardless of whether the father used cannabis or not.

The researchers also found that parental monitoring can be an effective protective factor against underage cannabis use, particularly among boys. Boys who reported higher levels of parental supervision – measured by parents knowing where they were and who their friends were – expressed more negative attitudes towards cannabis than girls under similar supervision.

“Parenting is very gendered,” Hust said. “This study illuminates how mothers and fathers uniquely influence their children’s views on cannabis and provides a roadmap for future research to further explore these differences.”

Hust and Jessica Willoughby, an associate professor of communications at WSU and co-author of the study, said the overall message to parents is that open, honest discussions about cannabis, combined with consistent monitoring, can help reduce the likelihood that teens will Substance seeing positive or intentions to use it. They recommend parents consider cannabis as an adult choice, similar to alcohol or tobacco, and emphasize its risks.

“Parents need to think about how they talk to their children about use,” Willoughby said.

“They need to make it clear that cannabis is an adult product and communicate its potential harm, particularly to developing adolescent brains.”

In the future, the researchers want to build on their study and examine how parents communicate with their teenagers about substance use. Future work will explore topics such as the role of parental warmth and closeness in promoting effective conversations about cannabis and other health-related behaviors.

About this news on neurological development and CUD research

Author: William Ferguson
Source: Washington State University
Contact: William Ferguson-Washington State University
Picture: The image comes from Neuroscience News

Original research: Open access.
“Parents and Cannabis: Adolescents’ Reports of Parent-Related Factors Associated with Their Attitudes toward Cannabis and Their Intentions to Use Cannabis” by Stacey Hust et al. Journal of Child and Family Studies

Abstract

Parents and Cannabis: Adolescents’ Reports of Parent-Related Factors Associated with Their Attitudes and Intentions to Use Cannabis

Teens in Washington state grew up with parents who could legally purchase and use cannabis.

In this setting, it is important to determine the role that parental cannabis use and parental monitoring play in adolescents’ cannabis-related beliefs and intentions.

Data analysis of online survey data collected four years after the first recreational cannabis retailers opened in the state from 276 youth in Washington state (of the 350 surveyed who answered applicable questions) found that perceived cannabis use of the Parents are associated with adolescents’ attitudes and intentions toward cannabis use.

Parental monitoring was associated with adolescents’ attitudes toward cannabis. Adolescents’ perceived closeness to mother served as a protective factor for adolescent cannabis use unless the mother used cannabis.

Instead, proximity to mothers who use cannabis served as a risk factor for young people’s pro-cannabis attitudes and intentions to use cannabis.

Overall, the results of the current study suggest that parents serve as a social context in which adolescents learn about cannabis use and its consequences. The effects are discussed in the article.