In-school Substance Abuse A Signal for Help and Notice: Study

Youngsters who engage in smoking and drinking inside school premises are usually at risk of serious health issues and the substance abuse may be a sign of other problems in their lives, according to a study.
A depressed individual resorts to alcohol, drugs and harmful substances to rebel and escape from brutal reality. Researchers from University of California, Los Angeles, found that children who suffer from addiction and boldly exhibit this behavior in schools have emotional difficulties and mental disturbances due to family problems, sexual harassment and physical abuse.
The study used data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey involving more than 15,000 high school students conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2011. The researchers examined if alcohol and marijuana use inside the schools was associated with nine other serious health risks in children like- drunk driving, smoking and drinking while riding or driving, carrying deadly weapons, engaging in sexual activity after drinking and doing drugs, sexual violence, depression, rape, suicide attempts and suicidal behavior.
Almost 9 percent of the total participants, both boys and girls, reported drinking and smoking on school campus and exhibiting behaviors linked to all nine serious health risks. The findings revealed teens that used alcohol or marijuana inside schools were 64 percent more likely to drive or ride with an intoxicated driver. These children had 46 percent chances of having suffered from chronic depression, 25 percent chances of being sexually assaulted and 25 percent to have had suicidal thoughts.
"These represent a considerable history of, and ongoing risk for, immediate harm that might not otherwise come to the attention of a parent or school official," said Rebecca N. Dudovitz, study author and assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA in a news release.
The experts believe these tendencies are a cry for help and recognizing these signs can prevent crime, violence and harassment that most parents and care-givers are unaware of. They urge school authorities to screen and counsel for psychological conditions, mental and emotional trauma instead of reprimanding students who are caught smoking and drinking inside school campus.
"Given the strong association of at-school substance use with some very serious and dangerous health risks, like having experienced sexual trauma and attempting suicide, we should not dismiss at-school substance use as just another school infraction. Instead, it may be a truly urgent call for caring adults to get involved and help that student access appropriate services," added Prof Dudovitz.
The research was presented at the annual meet of the Pediatric Academic Society in Vancouver, Canada.
May 05, 2014 07:20 AM EDT