Peer pressure versus parental surveillance: influences on the development of early-onset substance abuse in male adolescents

M. Naveen Kumar; Rakesh Gurrapu

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20264234

Authors

M. Naveen Kumar Department of Social Work, University College of Arts and Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, Telangana, India
Rakesh Gurrapu Department of De-Addiction, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally, Nalgonda, Telangana State, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20264234

Keywords:

Peer pressure, Parental surveillance, Early-onset, Substance abuse, Adolescents

Abstract

Early-onset substance abuse (usually defined as initiation before age 15) is a widespread public health epidemic that has devastating consequences for long-term neurological, psychological, and social development. This paper considers the crossing and often conflicting influences on early-onset substance abuse among male adolescents, centering on perhaps the two most formidable psychosocial influences: peer pressure and parental monitoring. Male adolescents are a particularly vulnerable demographic group because of a combination of neurobiological development, socialization by society (masculinity), and an increased tendency for externalizing behaviours. By synthesizing established sociological and psychological frameworks, namely Social Learning Theory, Social Control Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, etc., this paper examines the role of peer socialization and deviancy training as key catalyst agents in substance initiation, coupled with parental monitoring, especially through the mechanism of child disclosure as an important protective buffer. The paper concludes with an examination of evidence-based interventions and implications for future research in sociology and Psychiatric Social Work.

References

Grant BF, Dawson DA. Age at onset of alcohol use and its association with DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal Epidemiologic Survey. J Substance Abuse. 1997;9:103-10.

Chen K, Kandel DB. The natural history of drug use from adolescence to the mid-thirties in a general population sample. Am J Public Health. 1995;85(1):41-7.

Steinberg L, Morris AS. Adolescent development. Annual Review of Psychol. 2001;52(1):83-110.

Bandura A. Social Learning Theory. Prentice-Hall. 1977.

Hirschi T. Causes of Delinquency. University of California Press. 1969.

Bronfenbrenner U. The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press. 1979.

Dishion TJ, Owen LD. A longitudinal analysis of friendships and substance use: Bidirectional influence from adolescence to adulthood. Developmental Psychol. 2002;38(4):480-91.

Steinberg L. A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Biosocial Theories Crime. 2017;28(1):435-63.

Connell RW, Messerschmidt JW. Hegemonic masculinity. Gender Society. 2005;19:829-59.

Otten D, Tibubos AN, Schomerus G, Brähler E, Binder H, Kruse J, et al. Similarities and differences of mental health in women and men: A systematic review of findings in three large German cohorts. Front Public Health. 2021;9:553071.

Barber BK. Parental psychological control: Revisiting a neglected construct. Child Develop. 1996;67(6):3296-319.

Stattin H, Kerr M. Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Develop. 2000;71(4):1072-85.

Chilcoat HD, Anthony JC. Impact of parent monitoring on susceptibility to peer influences and the epidemiologic risk of early-onset of illicit drug use. Developmental Psychol. 1996;32(1):122-30.

Rowe CL. Family therapy for drug abuse: Review and updates. J Marital Fam Therapy. 2012;38(1):59-81.

Botvin GJ, Griffin KW. Life skills training: Empirical findings and future directions. J Prim Prevent. 2004;25(2):211-32.

Hawkins JD, Catalano RF, Miller JY. Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bull. 1992;112(1):64-105.