Commentary: Recognizing the Contribution of Adolescent Substance Use to Poor School Performance
Although the association between substance use and
academic performance has been on the radar of researchers for quite
some time, what is under-recognized by researchers and policy makers
alike is the contribution of substance use to poor academic performance.
This distinction is important because it tells us that doing
something about substance use is a viable option for improving academic
performance. Because we know that almost one-quarter of students will
eventually drop out of high school, we need to add drug prevention and
intervention to the list of things we can do to solve the nation’s
dropout crisis.
The consequences of dropping out are profound. High school dropouts
are much more likely than high school graduates to have health problems,
to earn less income over their lifetimes and to be incarcerated.
Strangely, this connection between substance use and academic decline,
failure and dropout is not mentioned on the numerous websites, including
that of the U.S. Department of Education, that advise parents on how to
help their teenage children achieve academic success.
• Substance-using students, compared with non-users, are at increased
risk for academic failure, including dropout, especially when the use
is frequent and heavy.
• Marijuana use negatively impacts academic outcomes (lower GPA and
higher rates of dropout) somewhat more than does alcohol. The authors
speculate that this might be due to differences in the patterns of
consumption between alcohol (typically consumed on weekends) and
marijuana (consumed throughout the week) among adolescents. National
studies show that in recent years, as perceived risk of harm from
marijuana has declined, marijuana use among youth has increased.
• Sometimes substance use precedes academic failure; sometimes early
academic failure precedes use. There are many pathways leading to
different adverse outcomes from substance use during adolescence.
• Cessation of substance use following treatment is associated with
improvement in academic performance. This evidence shows that doing
something about substance use is an important way to promote and improve
academic success.
• New neurobiological research tells us that there are short- and
longer-term effects of drug use on students’ ability to learn.
Certainly, learning is compromised if students come to class under the
influence. Motivation to study and achieve declines as the use becomes
more regular. Too often, students with alcohol or drug problems aren’t
even making it to the classroom.
What Parents Need to Know
Dropout is the extreme result of a complex and interacting set of
risk factors. Because of the critical role parents play both in
preventing substance use and promoting academic success, they need to
know what they can do to prevent use in the first place, and intervene
if their child has a drug or alcohol problem. Once use occurs, an entire
constellation of change agents may be needed to solve the problem.
Scientific evidence has made it clear that drinking and drug use
during adolescence can be risky. Even a little alcohol use may lead to
problems. Many research studies show that the earlier the exposure, the
more problems later. We know that what parents say to their teenage
children about substance use matters; parents need to be clear that they
do not approve of substance use. A recent research study followed
students from high school through their college years. It showed that
parents who communicated to their college-bound children the message of
zero tolerance for substance use were less likely to have children with
drinking problems in college than were parents who were more permissive.
Given the evidence, parents need to be armed with skills and
strategies to prevent substance use, to recognize problems early and to
intervene when a problem occurs. With what we now know about the
potential risks of adolescent substance use, including the negative
impact on academic performance, it is critical that parents and school
administrators intervene when substance use is detected. Students that
show early signs of academic difficulties should be specifically
screened for drug and alcohol use. Steps should be taken to ensure that
at-risk students become and stay drug-and alcohol-free. Proper
management must be comprehensive and may include assessments and
interventions for behavioral problems and mental health disorders.
The authors of the report, which include leading researchers from the
Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc., the Center on Young Adult
Health and Development and Treatment Research Institute, are interested
in learning more about dropout prevention programs that include the
identification and intervention of substance use of at-risk students.
Rather than develop strategies de novo, their goal is to identify,
extend and improve existing intervention models.
The more research tells us about the negative effects of alcohol and
drugs on adolescent health and intellectual development, the more
important prevention becomes. There should be a shared understanding
between families, school systems and the broader community that underage
drinking and drug use is not consistent with the goals of maximizing
student potential, promoting student health and preparing students for
the future.
Amelia M. Arria, PhD and Robert L. DuPont, MD
Amelia M. Arria, PhD is a Senior Scientist at Treatment
Research Institute and the Scientific Director of the Parents
Translational Research Center. She is also the Director of the Center on
Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School
of Public Health.
Robert L. DuPont, MD is the founding president of the
Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. He is recognized as a national
leader in drug abuse prevention and treatment. Among his many
contributions to the field is his leadership as the first Director of
the National Institute on Drug Abuse and as the second White House Drug
Chief.
