Abstract

Background: The research examines whether parental monitoring, attitude toward adolescent drug use and conversation about drugs are related to adolescent marijuana use and risky-use in adolescents who are already using marijuana, even if marijuana use is present within the family. Methods: We preformed regression analyses on cross-sectional data collected in the Chilean National School Survey on Drug Use (2013). The sample included 42,974 adolescents, aged 12-19. Adolescent marijuana use and risky-use were regressed on parental monitoring, parental attitude toward marijuana use and parental conversation about drugs, controlling for parental past drug use and sibling current drug use. Findings: More parental monitoring on the whereabouts of adolescents (OR=0,70; p<0,001) and what they did at school (OR=0,88; p<0,001) was associated with a lower likelihood to use marijuana. Similarly, adolescents were less likely to use marijuana, when a negative parental attitude was stronger (OR=0,99; p=0,002). Adolescents who did use marijuana were less likely to present a risky use if their parents better monitored the adolescents’ whereabouts (OR=0,62; p<0,001) and who their friends are (OR=0,79; p<0,001), as well as when a negative parental attitude was stronger (OR=0,95; p<0,001). No statistical relations between adolescent marijuana use or risky-use and parental conversation were found. Discussion: Even if drugs are used within the family, parental monitoring and a more negative parental attitude toward marijuana use appear to be protective factors against marijuana use and risky-use in adolescents. However, parents appear not to be effective in preventing drugs in their children by means of talking about drug use.