Caring mother antidote to drug abuse

A loving family reduces risks of child drug abuse

Children in a close and loving relationship with their mothers and who have a supportive family life are less likely to become involved in drug or alcohol abuse, a study claims.

Child psychiatrist Dr Paul McArdle, at Newcastle University, headed the survey of 4,000 youngsters across Europe which concludes "attachment, particularly to mothers, is a potent inhibitor and that this is true across cultures and substances".

The study reveals 14 and 15-year-olds living with both parents in a well supervised and loving atmosphere are less likely to have drug and alcohol habits.

Of those without parents at home and without a supportive and supervised homelife, 42% were likely to be involved in drugs but if both factors are present, the figure falls to 17%.

If your centre of gravity is your family then your less likely to use drugs

Paul McArdle, child psychiatrist

If one factor is present the level is 32%.

Family values

Dr Paul McArdle told the BBC: "If your centre of gravity is your family then you are less likely to use drugs.

"If your centre of gravity is your friends then you are exposed to a wide range of substances. Drugs seem to be very easily available.

"With your friends then you don't have the values of your family, you don't have adult values of a family, you don't have a sense of future, sense of ambition and so on."

Dr McArdle took the survey to youngsters in Newcastle, Dublin, Rome, Bremen in Germany and Groningen in the Netherlands.

Problems are more common in youngsters with absent parents

The questionnaires were designed to assess the quality of their relationship with parents.

Questions included whether someone is at home after school, whether they are able to confide in parents or warned not to watch excessive amounts of television.

It also asked if they ever took cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, LSD or tranquillisers, or regularly drank alcohol.

Dr McArdle said: "This study shows that the quality of family life, or rather the lack of it for many young people, is at the core of the drugs problem in Western society.

"Yet this message is largely absent from drugs prevention campaigns.

"We spell out the dangers of drug abuse to children on TV and launch drug prevention initiatives in schools - but it seems that no-one is really tackling the issue of parental responsibility.

"I believe that effective prevention of drug use is more about family relationships than any other factor."