Survey details substance abuse among young people

WARWICK — The Warwick Valley Community Center will host a detailed review of a survey that assessed the substance use of 870 Warwick Valley Middle and High school students on Thursday, July 25, at 6:30 p.m.

The results were presented earlier this month to the Warwick Valley School Board.

Patricia Quinn, the director of prevention services at the WVCC, will present the findings of the Pride Survey on underage substance use at the July 25 meeting. That meeting also is expected to include a discussion of how the results reflected the community’s and family’s contribution to the problem.

In her press release announcing the meeting and detailing the survey results, Quinn pointed out these highlights:

Alcohol use
31 percent of 10th graders had used alcohol in the past 30 days while 19 percent had binge drank.

Seniors’ use was above the state average of 38 percent at 59 percent in the past 30 days and of 42 percent binging.

Eight graders were in the safe range, but 5 percent of them had binged on alcohol the previous month, and 7 percent admitted to using an illicit drug over their lifetime.

Illegal drugs
Marijuana use was notable at 17.5 percent of 10th graders and 30 percent of 12th graders having used it in the past 30 days.

Illicit drug use within 30 days of the survey was 21 percent and 32.8 percent respectively.

Family influence
“The risk factors in the community and family may reflect the new more liberal laws about marijuana and disparities in the right age to allow drinking among Warwick families,” the survey’s author wrote. “Students perceive that the laws and norms favor drug and alcohol use, and that drugs are available. 50.8 percent of seniors felt their parents favored substance use and 61.6 percent felt that their parents displayed attitudes that did not condemn fighting, stealing and vandalism.”

Another factor which may explain these attitudes favoring substance use and antisocial behavior was family conflict and poor family management which was reported by almost 40 percent of 8th, 10th and 12th graders, the survey authors wrote.

Also, the numbers of parents permitting them to drink increased by 100 percent from 8th to 10th grades and by 25 percent in 12th grade.

Depression
Individual characteristics of concern are the prevalence of depression, especially among 10th graders, at 44 percent. “This is commensurate with the ages and numbers of students using, as one of the effects of early substance use is the destabilizing of brain chemistry related to emotional regulation,” according to the survey’s findings.

Access
Most students were getting alcohol from older friends and family (37.5 percent of seniors).

The survey also noted that 35 to 41 percent of those tested were (illegally) gambling on Lotto and scratch-offs. This may set the stage for purchasing alcohol at some of these same venues, the survey indicated.

The origin of drugs was not surveyed.

Community factors
Students reported protective factors of having a rich, caring environments that reward them for positive actions. There are programs and initiatives to offset the needs of students families and the environment which the Warwick Coalition members from families, the schools, and government are collaborating on with the Community Center.

“We were a bit surprised by their (the students’) perceptions of their parents attitudes toward using and antisocial behaviors and the high rates of alcohol use,” Quinn wrote in an e-mail exchange with The Warwick Advertiser. “The perceived poor management at home is a negative. The students’ perceive that their families, the town and school offer rewards for positive activities.”

Quinn also said the test was adjusted for reliability. “About two to three percent of the answers in the extreme are eliminated, according to the Pride Survey staff,” she added.

Warwick Valley Community Center is located at 11 Hamilton Ave. The July 25 meeting is open to the public.