Regards, Ivan
Posted on 08/21/2004 2:01:52 AM PDT by MadIvan
OLDER boys are bad news - at least for their girlfriends. A new study has shown that girls who associate with older boys are also more likely to smoke, drink and use drugs.
It also found that girls who date boys two or more years older are much more likely to abuse alcohol: 58 per cent had done so, compared to 25 per cent of those who dated boys their own age, or not at all.
In fact, young love as a whole turns out to be a bad idea as far as substance abuse is concerned.
Adolescents who spent 25 or more hours a week with a romantic interest were 2.5 times more likely to drink than teens who spent ten hours or less with a boyfriend or girlfriend.
The survey, of 1,000 teenagers aged 12 to 17, also affirmed that friends do influence or at least reflect behaviour.
The research, conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University in New York on an annual basis, will reinforce parents’ concerns about girls coming under the malign influence of older boys.
Joseph Califano, chairman of CASA and lead author of the research, said: "We found a tight connection between teen sexual behaviour and dating and teen risk of smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs."
Fifty per cent of the girls who went for older boys or men smoked marijuana, compared to 8 per cent of other girls; and 65 per cent of these girls who preferred to date someone older smoked, compared to 14 per cent of those who stuck to younger boys.
The survey found that 45 per cent said they had been to parties where there was alcohol, 30 per cent where marijuana was available and 9 per cent where there was cocaine or ecstasy. Teenagers were also influenced by friends who say they download internet pornography: they were three times more likely to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs.
Just less than half of the high school students thought boys at their school "push girls to drink alcohol or take drugs in order to get the girls to have sex or do other sexual things".
There is some light for parents at the end of this gloomy tunnel - the survey found that the more teenagers have dinner with their parents and talk about dating and substance use, the likelier they are to grow up drug free.
So is US teen culture comparable to that of Scotland? At least one mother thinks not. Elaine Brechin, a mother of two boys aged 16 and 18 and a girl of 13, said she did not agree that teenagers in serious relationships were more likely to smoke, drink or take drugs. "I think the opposite is true. I think that boys or girls out socialising on their own are far more likely to be drinking and smoking than when they are in a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend."
Dr Helen Sweeting, a Glasgow University expert on teenage behaviour, said there were studies going back 20 years that broadly agreed with Columbia’s results. But she cautioned: "Studies which show a link cannot tell us whether one behaviour leads to another, or whether a third factor causes both behaviours. It may well be that the characteristics which increase the likelihood that certain teenagers will have relationships with the opposite sex also increase the likelihood that they will smoke, drink or try illegal drugs."
FIGURING OUT THE TROUBLE WITH TEENS
Teenagers who have sexually active friends are:
31 times more likely to get drunk 22.5 times more likely to smoke marijuana 5.5 times more likely to smoke
Teenagers who spend 25 or more hours a week compared with those who spend less than 10 hours with a boyfriend or girlfriend are:
2.5 times more likely to drink 4.5 times more likely to have tried marijuana 2.5 times more likely to smoke
Girls with boyfriends two or more years older are:
More than twice as likely to drink 6 times likelier to get drunk and have tried marijuana 4.5 times more likely to smoke
In addition:
45 per cent of teenagers attend parties where alcohol is available 30 per cent where marijuana is available 10 per cent where prescription drugs are available 9 per cent where cocaine or ecstasy is available
Teenagers who attend religious services weekly are at less than half the risk of smoking, drinking or using illegal drugs as teenagers who do not attend such services.
Only 12 per cent of parents think that drugs are a teenager’s No.1 concern compared with 29 per cent of teenagers who think it is their biggest worry.
44 per cent of parents believe that teenagers who abuse prescription drugs get them from their parents. Yet an over whelming 71 per cent of parents do not take any special precautions to protect prescription drugs.
21 per cent of the teenagers interviewed can buy marijuana in an hour or less and 40 per cent can buy it.
44 per cent of high school students think that boys at their school "push girls to drink alcohol or take drugs in order to get the girls to have sex or do other sexual things".
Teens who have dinner with their family less than twice a week are one-and-a-half times more likely to smoke or use illegal drugs than those who had five to seven family dinners per week.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
" Bi tt er L os er do pi an A le rt "
Ivan, I was puritan mother. I never let my girls date anyone more than one grade higher. When one was in college and started at age 18 to date a 21 year old guy, I drove across country in a frantic frenzy to see what "child molester" had been wooing my daughter. Well, he married her, her only seerious boyfriend and it has turned out well but he still remembers my breezing in obviously eyeballing him with suspicion.
Girls should not date guys more than one year older. After about age 18 that can be expanded to three years. But after age 21 edxpanded a few years only. Young women are easy prey. When they are 25 or so it no longer matters.
Sorry, but I have these rules about everything. I can't help it.
Thank God, I hadn't had a recent dose of "Men are Beasts" media attacks in recent days.
Could they narrow that down though. I think they could have pinned it on white males over the age of 14.
Yeah, I think that would have been a lot better.
If men corrupt the women, could you please tell us who corrupted the men? Thanks in advance.
I see men of 21 as boys of 18, only four years older.
What is it about people who hate men of 21, but think boys of 18 are such wonderful young men?
Excuse me, but your bias is showing.
I see you got here first, so this must be a sign! Did you "Wake and Bake" yet?
I read ..er, skimmed ..the headline..thought it said "Dridge"..I figured..OOPS!!..gotta remember to have coffee before logging on..
Statistics and pseudo-statistics..
Parents think that.... Parents believe that...
Teenagers think...
Opinions are not facts, nor are statistics about opinions..
"31 times more likely.. 22.5 times more likely..."
Looks like a bunch of alarmist crap to me...
You need some more coffee. Men are not corrupt, they are young men full of testesterone. Young women need some protection from the testosterone factor. That is why we call them "red blooded". It is a fact of nature. And I don't think that many mothers of romantic innocent girls will differ with me. The sluts are on their own as far as I am concerned. Their mothers gave up on them long before they met older guys.
Um, better check your math.
Dang, I don't know what you can do. But lately I am thinking that just saying "he is old, too old for you" over and over. I feel for you . I do think looking the guy over is worth it. I guess if he were an old conservative guy it wouldn't be as bad. None of my girls dated older guys other than the youngest who married the one who was three years older. The other two married men their age. You might ding him a bit if it gets serious about his life insurance and point out his widow will need it for the spa treatments, new wardrobe, etc to get her second husband after he croaks.
Most men date and marry women younger than themselves.
Therefore, according to this article, about half of all girlfriends/wives must be chain-smoking druggies, drunks, and/or whores.
Is that the way you guys see it?
Duh........as my teenagers say.
When I was there age I couldn't wait to get a rum and coke into my date's system.
It helped panty removal.
Ouch
I feel for you.
18 plus 4 is 22.
Xena's Guy is three years younger than I am, the chain-smoking stoner drunk.
LOL!!!! you are much too clever for me! i think i'd just flatten that guy's nose.(i know, i know, father forgive me!)
This is a surprise?
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