Adolescents who regularly share meals with their families are less likely to engage in substance use, including alcohol and drugs.
Substance use among adolescents and young adults remains a significant global public health concern, with alcohol, nicotine and cannabis being the most commonly used substances. An estimated 30 million adolescents (ages 10 to 19) are living with a substance use disorder worldwide.
A US study published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma analysed survey data from 2,090 adolescents ages 12 to 17 and their parents. The average age of participants was 14.9 years, and 48.8 per cent were female.
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Participants completed surveys assessing the quality of their family meals, including communication, enjoyment and digital distractions, as well as adolescents’ use of alcohol, e-cigarettes and cannabis over the previous six months.
The findings showed that higher-quality mealtimes, characterised by open communication and minimal digital distractions, were associated with a 22 per cent to 34 per cent lower risk of substance use.
“Routinely connecting over meals—which can be as simple as a caregiver and child standing at a counter having a snack together—can help establish open and routine parent-child communication and parental monitoring to support more positive long-term outcomes for the majority of children,” the lead researcher said. “It’s not about the food, timing or setting; it’s the parent-child relationship and interactions it helps cultivate that matter.”
However, the protective effects of family meals may be weaker for adolescents who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, such as parental divorce, physical or sexual abuse, witnessing violence, having a family member who uses substances or has a mental health disorder, or being teased about their weight.
For these adolescents, the researcher noted, more targeted and trauma-informed approaches, such as mental health support and alternative forms of family engagement, may be necessary.