November 14, 2006
Survey Shows Parental Attitudes
about Drug Use Matter
Parents’ attitudes toward drug use have a profound impact on the attitudes and behaviors of their children, according to a 2006 survey of middle and high school students from across Montana.
The Montana Prevention Needs Assessment survey is conducted every two years by the state Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). The latest survey was administered last March to 19,298 youth in grades 8, 10, and 12 at 152 different schools. DPHHS recently completed tabulating the results.
The purpose of the survey is to measure the need for strategies to prevent substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout, anxiety and depression, and violence among young people.
The 2006 survey found that 8.3 percent of students whose parents think it is “very wrong” to use marijuana had themselves used marijuana in the past 30 days. By contrast, students who said their parents think marijuana use is “a little bit wrong” or “not wrong at all” reported much higher rates of marijuana use: 56.2 percent and 62.1 percent respectively.
Parental approval of moderate drinking by young people, even under adult supervision, also was found to increase the risk of a young person using marijuana.
“These results make a strong argument for the importance of parents communicating clear and strict standards and rules to their children concerning alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use,” said Jackie Jandt, director of the survey project. “This should be empowering for parents. They can make a difference.”
Among the other survey findings:
- The most frequent antisocial behavior among Montana youth is binge drinking: 24.8 percent of students reported consuming more than five drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks.
- 19.6 percent of students reported being at school while drunk or high.
- 1 percent of students reported smoking half a pack or more of cigarettes per day.
- Females were less likely than males to engage in antisocial behaviors.
- Data show an increase in the use of three drugs: stimulants, inhalants, and smokeless tobacco.
“While the survey indicates that substance abuse and other antisocial behaviors are still a problem among Montana youth, the good news is most drug use is generally declining,” Jandt said.
Compared to data from the 2004 survey, this year’s survey showed that use rates for all students decreased by 3.3 percent for alcohol, 4 percent for cigarettes, and 6 percent for marijuana.
This year, for the first time, a question about methamphetamine use was included in the survey, Jandt said. Results showed that 3.4 percent of Montana students had used meth at least once in their lives, compared to a national average of 3.9 percent.
Detailed results from the survey are available on the DPHHS Prevention Resource Center website at www.prevention.mt.gov/pna/default.asp. For more information, contact Jandt at 406-444-9656 or jjandt@mt.gov.
