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Parents Tend to Underestimate Younger Teens' Drug and Liquor Habits

A new study from the University of Buffalo found that parents underestimate their younger teens' drinking and drug habits, although they are more accurate about teens older than 15 years. Parents who are under a lot of stress and who drink themselves are particularly unaware of how often their teens drink or use drugs.

Dr. Neil McGillicuddy and his colleagues interviewed 75 parents and their teenagers over a six-month period. Previous studies looked at teens in substance treatment programs or families with no substance abuse issues. This was the first study of parents under stress because of their teens' substance abuse, with none enrolled in treatment programs.

Parents caught up in their own issues gave less accurate estimates of their children's problems. Parents who did not monitor what their teens were doing in their free time after school and on weekends were also more likely to underestimate their children's use of illicit substances.

This study appears in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse.

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