Young people’s drug consumption viewed in the light of their mental well-being and relationship with parents

Abstract

During adolescence, individuals face various changes and challenges. Parents tend to become insecure in the parenting role during these years. Concerns have been directed at how their children will fare in the coming years and in the future. Some caregivers strive to prepare them as best they can, fostering their well-being, communication skills, and health. Others experience challenges in their upbringing, feeling that they are losing control and unable to steer the child in the right direction. This is not without reason. The period of adolescence increases young people’s vulnerability to mental health problems as many mental illnesses appear during these years. Mental well-being is the prerequisite for people’s prosperity both as individuals as well as citizens where everyone’s ingenuity and skills should be recognized. It is, therefore, worrying that mental stability is deteriorating among young people in the Western world. Mental health policy has been called on as well as different resources and treatments and already many nations have placed mental health at the center of their agendas. In adolescence experiments with substances are also common. In Iceland adolescent binge drinking was strikingly common in the 70s, 80s and 90s but with joint preventive efforts of parents, schools, and authorities there has been a positive trend in the direction of much less alcohol being used by teenagers in junior high school. However, as teenagers get older, substance use rises, both in frequency as well as quantity, with increasing variety of substance types. Since the 80s there has also been constant growth in adult alcohol consumption in Iceland and young people aged 18–34, are among these consumers and the group at greatest risk for heavy drinking. Cannabis use among adolescents in Iceland is also on the rise, even in junior high school. In addition, young people are using more prescription drugs. All this is a matter of concern. Studies in Iceland have focused on different risk and protective factors, both related to mental well-being and substance use. Various aspects have been examined, relating both to individuals and the environment. The aim of this study is: Firstly, to map young people’s drug consumption and mental well-being by using a measure of psychosomatic symptoms. Secondly, to examine these factors in relation to gender and the quality of the young people’s relationship with parents. Thirdly, to explore young people’s mental well-being, the quality of their relationship with parents, their gender and economic background in relation to their alcohol and cannabis use. The data used came from the study, Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children. Students in 10th grade answered a questionnaire asking about these factors. The results showed that a quarter of young people experience poor relationships with their parents and that they are more likely to feel bad and use alcohol and cannabis than those who experience good or very good relationships. Girls did not use less alcohol than boys, although their cannabis use was lower, and they were more likely than boys to evaluate their relationship with their parents as poor and less likely to evaluate it as good. There was a connection between the young people’s dysphoria that appeared as psychosomatic symptoms, a poor relationship with parents and a poor economic background and being more likely to have an experience of using both alcohol and cannabis than those who feel better, have a better relationship and a higher economic background. There was also an association between dysphoria and alcohol and cannabis use, regardless of the young people’s relationship with their parents. The findings emphasize the importance of early intervention when symptoms of dysphoria appear. Parents need to be encouraged to nurture good relationships with their children, discuss daily issues and challenges with them to help them take better decisions. Caregivers’ aptitude to recognize early signs of young people’s dysphoria needs to be improved as well as their ability to respond to it and provide them with further services. Finally, it is essential to ensure better access to mental health services, to reduce the likelihood of their condition deteriorating further as well as drug abuse becoming their lifeline to feel better.