1. Peer Factors
2. Parent/Family Factors
3. Individual Factors
4. Biologic Factors
5. Community/Social/Cultural Factors
Thom Kessler, LMFT, RAS
Thom@thomkesslertherapist.com
415-454-8931
- Peer substance use
- Positive peer attitudes toward substance use
- Greater attachment to peers (than to parents)
- Perception of similarity to peers who use substances
2. Parent/Family Factors
- Parental substance use
- Positive parental attitude about substance use and beliefs about harmlessness of substances
- Parental tolerance of adolescent substance use
- Lack of attachment between parents and child
- Lack of parental involvement with child’s life
- Lack of appropriate supervision/discipline
- Parental antisocial behavior
- Family history of psychopathology
- Family disruption (e.g. divorce)
3. Individual Factors
- Early childhood characteristics such as conduct disorder and aggression
- Poor academic performance/school failure
- Early onset of substance use, especially prior to 15
- Positive attitudes/beliefs about substance abuse
- Risk‐taking/sensation‐seeking behavior
- High tolerance of deviance/nonconformity relative to traditional values
- Positive expectancies regarding the effects of substances
- External locus of control
- Extroversion
- Low self‐esteem
- Poor impulse control
- Anxiety/depression
- Impaired coping skills
- Interpersonal/social difficulties
- Traumatic experiences (e.g. childhood physical or sexual abuse)
4. Biologic Factors
- Genetically controlled physiological processes and characteristics (e.g., altered sensitivity to alcohol or inherited temperament)
5. Community/Social/Cultural Factors
- Low socioeconomic status
- High population density
- Low population mobility
- Physical deterioration
- High Crime
- Increased unemployment
- Deviant norms, which condone the use of substances
- High alienation of the citizens
- Availability of substances
Thom Kessler, LMFT, RAS
Thom@thomkesslertherapist.com
415-454-8931