NCJ Number
167183
Date Published
1997
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Data from the Add Health data collected in the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health reveal that families, schools, and individual factors make a difference in the lives of youth and that the most important factor is the adolescent's feeling of connectedness with parents and family.
Abstract
The findings were published in the September 10, 1997 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The results revealed that parent behavior and the home environment are important in shaping health outcomes. Youth are less likely to use cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana and less likely to be emotionally distressed if a parent is physically present in the home at crucial times. Teenagers who perceived that their parents have high expectations for their school success have lower levels of emotional distress and, if in high school, are less likely to smoke cigarettes and engage in violent behavior. In addition, easy access to cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana at home makes adolescents more likely to use these substances. Teenagers who have easy access to guns in the home are more likely to act violently toward others; older adolescents with easy access to guns in the home are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts or attempts. The most important school influence on youth behavior is the students' sense of connection to the school they attend. The adolescent's own attitudes, beliefs, and experiences also have an important influence. The data also reveal that youth have lost 10-12 hours per week of parental time since the 1960's. Figures, photographs, and appended methodological information