Let's Talk Drugs: The need for effective parent-child communication within drug education

ABSTRACT

Effective parent-child communication about drugs has been highlighted as an important aspect of the UK drug education strategy. Through a series of focus group discussions this research examines young people's and parents' perspectives of drugs and their experience of communication. The purpose was to ascertain how drug education might be able to assist families to achieve more effective communication about drugs. Parents and young people report many difficulties in communicating about drugs. Despite these difficulties they report that they would like to have more satisfactory communication. There is an array of parent and young people perspectives towards drugs and parents and young people identify many reasons underlying drug use. Communication between parents and young people and the reasons underlying drug use are inherently linked with developmental issues of adolescence. Implications for drug education practice for both parents and young people are discussed.