Jl. Richardson et al., RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AFTER-SCHOOL CARE OF ADOLESCENTS AND SUBSTANCE USE, RISK-TAKING, DEPRESSED MOOD, AND ACADEMIC-ACHIEVEMENT, Pediatrics, 92(1), 1993, pp. 32-38
Objective. To examine the relationship between parental monitoring and
six negative behaviors: cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use; depres
sed mood; risk taking; and lower academic grades. Design. Survey of 39
93 ninth-grade students in six school districts in southern California
. Subjects. The sample consisted of 1930 boys and 2063 girls, self-cla
ssified as non-Hispanic white (32%), African-American (13%), Hispanic
(46%), or Asian (9%). Results. A relationship was found between unsupe
rvised care after school and susceptibility to cigarette, alcohol, and
marijuana use; depressed mood; risk taking; and lower academic grades
. Adolescents who were unsupervised at home were slightly more likely
to engage in problem behavior than those who were supervised at home.
Adolescents at a neighbor's house, at school, or at a job and especial
ly those who ''hang out'' were most likely to engage in problem behavi
or. Risk was higher if the parent had an unengaged parenting style. Al
though girls were less likely than boys to engage in problem behavior
when supervised, as supervision decreased they were significantly more
likely to have each of these problems. Family structure had little im
pact on risk. Conclusions. Self-care, especially when it occurs outsid
e of the home, is associated with substance use, risk taking, depresse
d mood, and lower academic grades.