NEW YORK, Sep 02 (Reuters Health) -- Teens who do not have good relationships with their fathers are more likely to drink, smoke, and use drugs, according to a survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) in New York.
"This is a wakeup call for every dad in America," said CASA President Joseph A. Califano, former US secretary of health, education and welfare, about the implications of the survey's results.
In the study, 2,000 teenagers -- 1,000 males and 1,000 females, ages 12-17 -- and 1,000 parents -- 464 fathers, 536 mothers -- were surveyed to determine the affect of different family structures on teen drug, alcohol and tobacco use.
According to the survey, a child in a two-parent household who has a "fair or poor" relationship with their father has a 68% greater risk of engaging in substance abuse compared to all teens living in similar households. The study also showed that teens living with their single mothers have a 30% higher risk of substance abuse compared to all teens living in a two-parent household.
Just over 70% of teens in the CASA survey said they had an excellent or very good relationship with their mothers, but only 58% gave the same rating to their relationship with their fathers. And more than twice as many teens said that it was easier to talk with their mothers about drugs than with their dads, 57% versus 26%.
But the survey also shows that parents can positively influence their child's decisions regarding drug use -- 42% of teens who had never used marijuana credited their parents with their decision.
"Parent power is key to keeping our kids drug free," said Califano in a statement.
"Parents have enormous power over a child's well-being but too many fail to appreciate and use this power," he added.
About 60% of teens are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse, with risk factors including having friends who use illicit drugs or drink regularly, having easy access to drugs such as marijuana, or having an expectation that they will use illegal drugs in the future.
