Study: Teen Girls More Likely To ‘Self-Medicate’ With Drug And Alcohol

HARTFORD — New survey data not only shows increases in alcohol and drug consumption among teenagers, but gives strong insight as to why they drink and do drugs. The results heavily suggest that teenagers — specifically teen girls — are drinking and getting high to deal with problems at home, academic pressure, and general stress.

According to a new research analysis of the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) from the Partnership for a Drug Free America sponsored by MetLife Foundation, teen girls are more likely to associate “self-medicating” benefits with drinking and getting high. More than two-thirds of teen girls responded positively to the question “using drugs helps kids deal with problems at home” (an 11 percent increase, up from 61 percent in 2008 to 68 percent in 2009) and more than half reported that drugs help teens forget their troubles (a 10 percent increase, up from 48 percent in 2008 to 53 percent in 2009). 

Stress has been identified as a key factor leading to drinking, smoking, and drug use among girls, and more than three times as many young girls as boys reported having symptoms of depression in 2008.

Teenage girls are not the only ones at risk, as the survey showed that there was a significant 16 percent increase among boys who agreed that “drugs help you relax socially” (from 45 percent in 2008 to 52 percent in 2009) and a 21 percent increase among boys who agreed that “parties are more fun with drugs” (from 34 percent in 2008 to 41 percent in 2009).

“Parents of teen girls have to be especially attentive to their daughters’ moods and mental health needs, which can have a direct effect on their decisions regarding getting high and drinking,” said Jill K. Spineti, president and CEO of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “Parents can help prevent alcohol and drug abuse by recognizing and addressing their daughters’ worries and stresses, by supporting their positive decisions and by taking immediate action if they suspect or know they have been experimenting with drugs and alcohol.”

Helpful Resources

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership serves as the Connecticut affiliate for the Partnership for a Drug Free America (PFDA). Together, the two organizations offer a number of helpful resources designed to give parents the tools to talk about drugs and alcohol, as well as underlying mental health issues, with their teenagers.

“In response to this disturbing data, we have created a page on our website that gives parents an easy-to-follow blueprint for talking with their teenagers,” said Ms Spineti. “In addition, we will soon be launching ‘A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Underage Drinking,’ which is a more comprehensive document that will help parents continue the conversation with their kids.”

She added that parents should make sure when they do discuss the issue with their child that they are not simply saying, “Drugs and alcohol are bad.” Instead, they can talk about reasons why substance use is an ineffective way of dealing with stress and mental health symptoms. These resources can be found at www.preventionworksct.org/parents.

In addition to The Governor’s Prevention Partnership’s offerings, the PFDA offers “Time to Act,” which offers step-by-step advice and sympathetic guidance from substance abuse experts, family therapists, scientists, and fellow parents to help guide families through the process of understanding drug and alcohol use, confronting a child, setting boundaries, and seeking outside help.

“Time to Act” and its companion “Time to Talk” site can be found at www.drugfree.org. In addition, a number of resources are available through the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction services at www.ct.gov/dmhas.

The PATS data also point to upswings in use of drugs that teens are likely to encounter at parties and in other social situations, with noteworthy and dramatic increases in alcohol use among girls.

Teenage girls’ alcohol use increased 11 percent, from 53 percent in 2008 to 59 percent in 2009 — significantly higher, when compared to the increase in boys’ drinking over the same time period (50 percent and 52 percent, respectively).

Ecstasy Use Increasing

While past-year Ecstasy use increased substantially among both teen girls and boys, teen girls are now significantly less likely to believe Ecstasy use could be addictive (77 percent in 2009, down from 82 percent in 2008).

Teen girls’ social disapproval of overall illegal drug use by their friends also decreased, with only 33 percent reporting they “don’t want to hang around drug users,” down from 38 percent who agreed in 2008.

The PATS data found a significant 29 percent increase in teen girls’ past-year marijuana use from 2008 to 2009 and a much less dramatic 15 percent increase in boys’ use of marijuana during the same time period.

“It’s troubling to see that girls view illicit drug use as less dangerous than they previously did and are more likely to drink alcohol,” said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “For boys and girls alike, however, parents need to know when it’s time to act, and how to act when confronted with a substance abuse situation, ensuring they’ll be more effective in preventing a serious problem.”

The 21st national PATS study of 3,287 teens in grades 9–12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 2.3 percent margin of error. Conducted for the Partnership and MetLife Foundation by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research, the 2009 PATS teen study was administered in private, public and parochial schools.

For more information or to view the full PATS Report, visit www.drugfree.org.