Research Proposal Essay

IntroductionAdolescent cognitive content demoralise in Virginia is below the national honest according to a convey for the division of Adolescent wellness with the Department of Health & Human Services (2011) teens in grades 9-12 disclosed usage of alcohol at a order of 18 portion comp bed to 20 percent of the national average for having drank more than a few sips before they were 13 years old. For Marijuana the rate was 32 percent of postgraduate work immemorial insipids have employ marijuana in their lifetime and that is also below the national average of 40 percent. Inhalant usage was 10 percent with a national average of 11 percent, cocaine was listed at 3 percent directly coinciding with the national rate and lastly nonmedical function of pain relievers was 7 percent higher than the national percentage of 6 percent (Department of Health & Human Services Office of Adolescent Health, 2011). Literature ReviewIt is no recondite that an item-by-items development begi ns deep down the environment he or she develops. However, questions begin to a alternate when matchless wonders how particular settings or environmental factors affect an individuals development and to which degree these factors restore ones life. Further investigation may be necessary when the stage of development of the individual beingness studied is considered. Adolescence is a unique and critical stage in the development of every human being and organizations such as the Adolescent Substance debauch Knowledge Base (ASK) suggest that substance use and abuse is at least an issue, if not a major problem facing many adolescents. correspond to ASK the most commonly used substances for adolescents age 12 to 17 are baccy, alcohol, and marijuana. The ASKwebsite supports that claim with the following statistics the national average age of commencement ceremony alcohol use is 15 years old, nationall(a)y 17.3% of y offhs have used tobacco in the past month, and the national averag e annual incidence rate for marijuana use among youths is 6.3% (http//www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com/state-stats.html).A commonly held belief is that kindles or family factors can often predict the development of substance use and abuse by adolescents, one website even goes so far as to label parents the Anti-Drug (http//www.theantidrug.com). So what leads adolescents to develop a habit of using substances such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and others? Do parent and family factors play a role in behavior of their adolescent sons and daughters? The purpose of this research project is to review the existing literature on agnate and family factors and the impact these factors have on predicting the development of teen substance use and abuse. Most research has been done in the area of parental communication and involvement in an adolescents life seeking to larn how parenting can influence an adolescents substance use or abuse in a positive or negative manner. For example, Farre ll and Kung (2000) utilized a trope of models to represent the relations between parenting course sessions, family structure, peer insistence, and drug use in a smack of 443 seventh grade students. It is important to note that this study was conducted in an urban area, in which many of the subjects were classified as being from low-income families, also a high percentage of those researched were of African American descent.Over half of the adolescents surveyed lived within an intact family or a family with a single parent and extended family members living in the same household. An interesting finding of this study was that peer pressure was more strongly related to drug use than was parenting. That being said, parenting practices were also found to subdue the relationship between peer pressure and substance use. This means that parenting can serve as a defensive factor in that children who receive decent parenting are better prepared to resist pressures from their peers to us e substances than those who do not receive adequate parenting. Ennett, Bauman, Foshee, Pemberton, and Hicks (2001) explored communication between parents and adolescents regarding alcohol and tobacco use with a national study of 537 adolescent and parent pairs. The researchers investigated what was discussed between parent and child and howthat communication impacted the adolescents behavior. This data was gathered via hollo contact on two separate occasions, with the second contact taking place one year after the initial contact.There were a number of interesting findings from this study, one of which was that parents who smoked tended to talk more regularly about anti ingest rules than did parents who didnt smoke in comparison, parents who drank spoke less regularly about rules regarding alcohol use than those that didnt drink. The study truly produced evidence that parental conversations with adolescents about rules and consequences for alcohol and tobacco use may have caused adolescents who had already tried smoking or drinking to increase their use. Finally, the study also showed that while communication had little in the way of positive effects on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use parental pattern was a much better predictor of an adolescents behavior. For example, parental smoking often led to adolescent tobacco and alcohol use, and parental drinking forecasted the rise of alcohol use in many instances (Ennett, Bauman, Foshee, Pemberton, & Hicks, 2001).Another study on the parent-adolescent relationship, this by Wood, Read, Mitchell, and Brand (2004), used mail surveys to contact 578 late-adolescent subjects in the summer before entering college to research parental and peer influences on their alcohol use. The study revealed that men drank nearly twice as much as women, and to negotiate for this known gender discrepancy the authors of the study considered gender in the equations used to calculate their final results. As was the effort with simi lar previous studies, this study revealed that peer influences such as offerings of alcohol and perceived norms were associated with unconstructive consequences as related to alcohol use. The study further back up prior research by confirming that parental behaviors, attitudes, and values correlate directly with late-adolescent alcohol use and problems, and that perceived parental disapproval was associated with lower levels of alcohol use.As the previously discussed research suggests, parental involvement in an adolescents life can significantly impact an adolescents attitudes and behaviors towards substance use and abuse. However, not all adolescents are fortunate enough to be brought up in environments where parental influences occupy a normal presence within their lives. It is important to consider the impacts of insufficient parenting or nontraditional parenting arrangementson adolescent substance use. Research QuestionWill the rate of teen substance abuse devolve if there is more family involvement within teen adolescence? HypothesisI hypothesize that the rate of teen substance abuse will decrease once there is parental involvement in an adolescents years of development Research DesignDepartment of Adolescent Health with the Department of Health & Human Services studied 361 individuals ages 14 to 17, all subjects came from two-parent and single parent families and were enlisted from within the Hampton Roads area in which the study was to be conducted or from clinical treatment programs in the area. The purpose of this study was to create parental involvement measurements applicable to a childs adolescent lifetime, to name adolescents who were for all practical purposes neglected by their parents from others, and to examine the effects of parental involvement on adolescent behaviors involving drugs and alcohol. Through the use of cross-sectional studies, researchers analysis data from questionnaires. try out StrategiesThe take method best used for th is research would be non-probability sampling because it opens the opportunity to specify the participants to be researched. This sampling method allows the researcher to create a handpicked research group of participants. Data Collection MethodQuestionnaireA random sample of 361, 14-17 year olds, stratified by sex and postcode sector, was drawn from the school registration database of Hampton Roads. Ethics committee approval was granted but required that names and addresses be passed to the researchers only after potential respondents had consented. Via their parents, all were sent an discipline sheet, questionnaire (to establish smoking status), consent form to be countersigned by a guardian, and a freepost return envelope. ResultsThrough the use and analysis of a questionnaire the researchers were able to determine that 75 of the adolescents studied were in situations withlow-parent involvement, which the researchers designated as the Neglect group. Those subjects not in the Neg lect group were labeled the Reference group. The most substantial observed unlikeness between the Neglect and Reference groups indicated that individuals in the Neglect group, those with less parental involvement in their lives, possessed a weaker ability to resist social pressure to substance abuse. DiscussionThese numbers show a rising usage of even younger teens beginning to indulge in substances. According to ask the average age of substance experimentation is 14. This study examined the effects of parents talking to children about substances versus those parents who do not. There were a number of interesting findings from this study, one of which was that parents who smoked tended to converse more regularly about antismoking rules than did parents who didnt smoke in comparison, parents who drank spoke less regularly about rules regarding alcohol use than those that didnt drink. The study actually produced evidence that parental conversations with adolescents about rules and co nsequences for alcohol and tobacco use may have caused adolescents who had already tried smoking or drinking to increase their use. Finally, the study also showed that while communication had little in the way of positive effects on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use parental modeling was a much better predictor of an adolescents behavior. For example, parental smoking often led to adolescent tobacco and parental drinking forecasted the rise of alcohol use in many instances. The purpose of this study was to create parental involvement measurements applicable to a childs adolescent lifetime, to differentiate adolescents who were for all practical purposes neglected by their parents from others, and to examine the effects of parental involvement on adolescent behaviors involving drugs and alcoholLimitationThe limitation that would effect this proposal would be the percent of honesty and integrity of the participants. Some participants may feel reluctant to tell the truth either due to fear of parents finding out substance use, or the fear of being labeled. This lack of honesty has a major effect on the data collected from the study. Also usingnon-probability sampling will result in limited generalizability of the findings. ImplicationsPractice Implications When I comes to training social workers on how to treat teens suffering from substance abuse, they have a great sense of which direction to demonstrate practice. Also allows social workers to understand the history as well at the trigger to initial substance use. Social workers are able to address adolescent clients from different system levels once they are aware of factors that lead teens to abuse substances. Profession As professionals, these findings help to guide practice in ways to better provide services to teens who suffer from substance abuse and to create preventative methods to keep teens from abusing even in the absence of parental guidance. Target Population These findings give teens an mind of how peer and parental influences play a major factor in their curiosity in substances Professional organic evolution As a professional, this research has given me a sense of direction when it comes to treating and dealing with teens who may suffer from substance abuse. Also gives me a better understanding of the history of teen substance abuse and how if occurs. Recommendations for Future ResearchIn future research, study recommend to offer aid, support, and services for those teens who are founded to be abusing or using substances. If challenges are met early, there is a greater chance of transforming these habits. The goal is to strengthen the community through service delivery.ReferencesClark, D., Thatcher, D., & Maisto, S. (2004). Adolescent neglect and alcohol use disorders in two-parent families. Child Maltreatment, 9(4), 357-370. Ennett, S., Bauman, K., Foshee, V., Pemberton, M., & Hicks, K. (2001). Parent-child communication about adolescent tobacco and alcohol use what do parents say and does it affect youth behavior? Journal of uniting and Family, 63(1), 48-62. Farrell, A., & Kung, E. (2000). The role of parents and peers in early adolescent substance use an examination of mediating and moderating effects. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 9(4), 509-528.Highlights of Study by State on callowness Drug Use. (2007). Retrieved January 13, 2011, from http//www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com/state-stats.html Wood, M., Read, J., Mitchell, R., & Brand, N. (2004). Do parents still matter? Parent and peer influences on alcohol involvement among recent high school graduates. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18(1), 19-30.