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• Do parents play different roles in drinking behaviours of male and female adolescents? A longitudinal follow-up study
  Geovanni V. Franklin
  Published on: 26 July 2019
• Reply to : BMJ Open 2015 5:e007179; doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007179
  Dr Maryam S Khan
  Published on: 23 November 2015

• Published on: 26 July 2019

  Do parents play different roles in drinking behaviours of male and female adolescents? A longitudinal follow-up study

  • Geovanni V. Franklin, Research Assistant The University of the West Indies School of Nursing

  Dear Editor,
  I am commenting on the article “Do parents play different roles in drinking behaviours of male and female adolescents? A longitudinal follow-up study” written by Chao-Chia Hung,Hsing-Yi Chang, Dih-Ling Luh, Chi-Chen and Wu Lee-Lan Yen published on March 20, 2015. The article investigated how parental drinking was influencing the substance misuse of adolescents. The study highlighted multiple factors that will influence adolescents to get involve in substance misuse such as, negative peer pressure, family environment etc. While researchers are unclear as to which parent alcohol consumption habit have greater impact on their children, the data presented emphasize that whether single parent or both parents are consuming alcohol it will have telling impact on their children who are looking on.
  I agree with the authors when they mention that alcohol consumption starts at earlier age in males than in females and drinking frequency is higher among males tan females. Within the Jamaican context, research suggested that alcohol use reflected by the youngest age of initiation, which is at age 12, (Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, 2015; The Gleaner, 2018). The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in Jamaica stated that research indicated that adults who abuse substance are more likely to abuse children, and conversely, children who have been abused are more likely to turn to drugs as a means of escape, (The Gleaner, 2012).
  Data suggested t...

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  Dear Editor,
  I am commenting on the article “Do parents play different roles in drinking behaviours of male and female adolescents? A longitudinal follow-up study” written by Chao-Chia Hung,Hsing-Yi Chang, Dih-Ling Luh, Chi-Chen and Wu Lee-Lan Yen published on March 20, 2015. The article investigated how parental drinking was influencing the substance misuse of adolescents. The study highlighted multiple factors that will influence adolescents to get involve in substance misuse such as, negative peer pressure, family environment etc. While researchers are unclear as to which parent alcohol consumption habit have greater impact on their children, the data presented emphasize that whether single parent or both parents are consuming alcohol it will have telling impact on their children who are looking on.
  I agree with the authors when they mention that alcohol consumption starts at earlier age in males than in females and drinking frequency is higher among males tan females. Within the Jamaican context, research suggested that alcohol use reflected by the youngest age of initiation, which is at age 12, (Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, 2015; The Gleaner, 2018). The National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in Jamaica stated that research indicated that adults who abuse substance are more likely to abuse children, and conversely, children who have been abused are more likely to turn to drugs as a means of escape, (The Gleaner, 2012).
  Data suggested that alcohol consumption at early age serves as a precursor for these adolescents to start the misuse of other substances such as tobacco, cigarettes, marijuana and solvents/ inhalants which is already evident among Jamaican adolescent population, (Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, 2015).
  Furthermore, Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, (2015) stated that alcohol is the primary drug used by Jamaican adolescents with a life time prevalence of 60%. Franklin, (2019); The Gleaner, (2012) alluded that some adolescents start misusing alcohol as means of managing unfulfilled emotional needs in their lives which is stemming from insufficient parental involvement, betrayal and sense of hopelessness . While other substance are wildly available in the Jamaican society, it appears that there is a cultural acceptance of alcoholic consumption in the Jamaica and the wider Caribbean based on our historical link to sugar cane and rum, (Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, 2015).
  A survey conducted in 2013 among secondary school students reveals that significantly more males were misusing alcohol that females. Additionally, the 2017 Global School Health Survey conducted among 1,667 secondary school students indicated that 4 out of 10 adolescents reported current use of alcohol. This is suggesting that Jamaican teenager is introduced to alcohol at an early age which will increased the like hood of dependency in later life, (The Jamaican Gleaner, 2018).
  While alcoholic consumption is evident with Jamaican adolescent and laws makes it clear that it is illegal to sell alcohol to minors (under 18) and in some instances, a consumer must produces an identification card before purchase alcohol, it appears to be challenge in our society. Atkinson, Abel & Whitehorne-Smith, (2015) believes that there needs to be multiple- prolong approach involving youths, education, health and national security sectors in order to effectively address this matter and highlighted the risk factors and to encourage development of the protective factors. While parental consumption of alcohol is a risk factor for adolescents, parents becoming better role models for children can become a protective factor in safe guarding adolescent against alcoholic consumption.

  References

  Atkinson U., Abel WD. & Whitehorne-Smith P., (January 2015). Current Trends in Adolescent Substance use in Jamaica. Retrieved from : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273338682. Access July 25, 2019.
  Bennett K. (2018). Red Stripe on track with cassava production. Confident of meeting 40 per cent target. The Jamaica Observer: Kingston. Retrieved from: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer/red-stripe-on-track-wit....
  Franklin, G. (2019). “Factors that cause aggressive behaviours in adolescents in Jamaica” Mauritius Lambert Academic Publishing.
  The Gleaner, (April 2018). Alcohol use among adolescents. Retrieved from: https://www.pressreader.com/. Access on July 25, 2019.
  The Gleaner, (April 2012). Substance Abuse Linked To Child Abuse, Says Drug Council. Retrieved from: Jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120425/news/news6.html. Access on July 25, 2019.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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• Published on: 23 November 2015

  Reply to : BMJ Open 2015 5:e007179; doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007179

  • Dr Maryam S Khan, ST6 , trainee Psychiatrist
  • Other Contributors:
    • Dr Rahul V Chandavarkar

  Thank you for a well presented article. We would like to highlight a few aspects that we found in the literature related to the subject and subsequently would like to convey our opinions. Alcoholism and other addictions have genetic and environmental causes. Both have serious consequences for children who live in homes where parents are involved. Children of addicted parents are the highest risk group of children to beco...

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  Thank you for a well presented article. We would like to highlight a few aspects that we found in the literature related to the subject and subsequently would like to convey our opinions. Alcoholism and other addictions have genetic and environmental causes. Both have serious consequences for children who live in homes where parents are involved. Children of addicted parents are the highest risk group of children to become alcohol and drug abusers due to both genetic and family environment factors1. Biological children of alcohol dependent parents who have been adopted continue to have an increased risk (2-9 fold) of developing alcoholism.2 Adolescent alcohol use, especially heavy use, is associated with many negative outcomes. It has been found that alcohol dependent adolescents have poorer neuropsychological performance and are more sensitive to learning and memory impairments produced by alcohol exposure. Adolescent alcohol use may interfere with the development of social, coping, and related skills needed for effective social functioning in late adolescence and early adulthood. Children who coped effectively with the trauma of growing up in families affected by alcoholism often relied on the support of a non-alcoholic parent, stepparent, grandparent, teachers and others.3 Our opinion apart from those presented in the referenced literature above would be that beyond the socio-cultural and genetic aspects covered in different articles , there is an element of parental responsibility and parental monitoring which needs to be taken into account when it comes to alcohol and substance misuse in the adolescent population . We also feel that there is an argument for parenting styles and parental monitoring as the manner in which boundaries are set and the individual young person's needs met, could be a crucial element in determining the young person's potential subsequent involvement and or reliance on drugs, alcohol and other mind altering substances. Family conflicts , domestic violence , social isolation ,financial problems are only a few other contributing factors which need to be accounted for when one considers the association between parental roles and adolescent drinking behaviour . References: 1. Kumpfer, K.L. (1999). Outcome measures of interventions in the study of children of substance-abusing parents. Paediatrics. Supplement. 103 (5): 1128-1144. 2. Schuckit, M.A., Goodwin, D.A., & Winokur, G. (1972). A study of alcoholism in half siblings. American Journal of Psychiatry, 128: 1132- 1136 3. Brown, S., & Tapert, S. (2004). Adolescence and the trajectory of alcohol use: Basic to clinical studies. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021, 234-244.

  Conflict of Interest:

  None declared

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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