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Influences on Substance Abuse among Teens

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What are the environmental, genetic, and physiological factors from parents, and peers play in the decision for teens to take alcohol, and drug?

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This solution examines factors impacting alcohol and drug use in teens e.g. the role played by environmental, genetic, and physiological factors from parents and peers.

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1. What are the environmental, genetic, and physiological factors from parents, and peers play in the decision for teens to take alcohol, and drug.

The primary factors that seem to affect increased or decreased drug use among teens are the actual and perceived risk, social approval, and availability. The more risky or less accepted a drug is thought to be (expressed by parents and others), the less likely it will be used by teens. Perceived availability is often associated with overall social approval expressed through parental disapproval, and so, a drug that's readily available is considered socially acceptable and will likely increase in use. While these seem like common sense factors, how these perceptions are created is harder to understand. For example, in the mind of a young person, the "risk" of using drugs has many dimensions. Not only do teens consider physical risk, but also emotional (acting inappropriately, or getting depressed), social/relational, and ...

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