Parents and Kids Alike Lie About Their Drug Habits

A new investigation has determined that both parents and teens misrepresent the truth, or omit parts of it, when speaking about their drug consumption habits. This is however especially true for kids.

In the case of adults, experts determined that the grown-ups were 6.5 times more likely to conceal data about their drug use. When it came to teenagers, the data suggested that they young adults were 52 times more likely to test positive for drugs than they were willing to admit.

What was even more interesting for the scientists to note was that both parents and teens lied knowing that they would undergo a drug screening test later on. Their lies therefore made no sense, expect for delaying the inevitable by a few short hours.

“If someone asks you a question and you don’t like the answer, it's human nature to provide a socially acceptable answer,” explains Dr. Virginia Delaney-Black.

The expert was the lead researcher in the new investigation. She is based at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. “They're putting a spin on their lives and experiences, and I think it’s perfectly natural,” she tells LiveScience.

The investigator also holds an appointment as a professor of pediatrics at the Wayne State University in Detroit. The new survey was the first nonclinical teen study that also carried out biological testing.

Some 430 teens from the urban environment were asked about their drug consumption habits, including cocaine and other opiates. Researchers carried out interviews and applied questionnaires to all participants.

“For adults, the perceived threat of legal consequences from acknowledging illicit drug use may contribute to the relative poor sensitivity of self-report,” explains Delaney-Black.

The expert is also the author of a new paper detailing the findings, which appears in the October 25 online issue of the esteemed scientific journal Pediatrics.

“One thing to highlight is the emotions underlying the underreporting. It's a shame-based illness, so the context of shame is an important consideration,” says Seattle psychologist Patrick J. Hart, who was not a part of the work.

“The take-home message is to have pediatricians recognize […] they need not rely on self-reporting. I don't think our results are that surprising, if we really thought about it. Nobody likes the truth when they think it might be embarrassing,” the study author concludes.