{"id":20685,"date":"2026-02-08T17:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=20685"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:14:28","slug":"one-in-four-teens-face-violence-higher-substance-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2026\/02\/one-in-four-teens-face-violence-higher-substance-use\/","title":{"rendered":"One in four teens face violence, higher substance use"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Drew Davison and Catherine LaBrenz – UTA – Jan 28, 2026 \u2022<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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One in four U.S. adolescents is exposed to violence in their neighborhood, and those teens are more than twice as likely to use cigarettes, alcohol or drugs to cope, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Arlington.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published in the\u00a0Journal of Affective Disorders<\/a><\/em>, the study was led by UT Arlington School of Social Work Professor\u00a0Philip Baiden<\/a>\u00a0and drew on national data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Researchers analyzed responses from 20,005 adolescents ages 12 to 18, offering new insights into early pathways to substance use, a persistent public health concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur study reminds us that violence is not a rare or isolated experience for many young people\u2014it is a daily reality,\u201d Dr. Baiden said. \u201cYouth exposed to neighborhood violence often carry the psychological weight of chronic stress, fear and trauma. Many turn to alcohol, marijuana, vaping or other substances to self-medicate or numb the emotional impact of these experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the 2024\u00a0National Institute on Drug Abuse<\/a>\u00a0annual report, 58.3% of individuals ages 12 or older reported using tobacco, vaping nicotine, alcohol or an illicit drug in the prior month. Substance misuse contributes to preventable illness and death nationwide.<\/p>\n

Catherine LaBrenz<\/a>, coauthor of the study and a UTA School of Social Work associate professor, noted that previous research has shown neighborhood violence can alter how the brain processes emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen teens experience chronic fear or trauma, it can increase vulnerability to substance use,\u201d Dr. LaBrenz said.<\/p>\n

The researchers examined five substance categories: cigarette smoking, alcohol use, electronic vaping products, marijuana use, and prescription opioid misuse. Exposure to neighborhood violence was associated with higher odds of using all five substances, even after controlling for demographics, mental health symptoms, physical activity and bullying involvement.<\/p>\n

The study also revealed several notable patterns. Cyberbullying is more strongly linked to substance use than traditional school bullying. In addition, students who participate in team sports tend to report higher rates of alcohol use.<\/p>\n

\u201cCyberbullying is distinct in that it follows adolescents everywhere\u2014there is no escape,\u201d Baiden said. \u201cIf someone is bullied on a school playground, it\u2019s traumatizing but you could brush it off and might be able to outgrow it. When it is cyberbullying, it spreads widely, persists indefinitely and you don\u2019t know who has access to it, which makes its emotional impact even more traumatic. You can\u2019t just delete it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong>\u00a0Researchers uncover surprising link to stroke risk<\/a><\/p>\n

The study also identified a nuanced relationship between team sports and substance use. Participation in team sports such as football, for example, was linked to increased alcohol use.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeam sports can offer structure, belonging and social support, but they also expose adolescents to peer cultures where alcohol use may be normalized,\u201d Baiden said. \u201cThat helps explain why we see increased odds of drinking among youth who participate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baiden and LaBrenz said the findings could help inform policies and prevention strategies aimed at reducing substance use among adolescents. Further research will focus on specific populations and potential interventions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not enough to document adverse effects,\u201d Baiden said. \u201cWe want to identify interventions that counselors, mental health professionals and social workers can use when working with youth who experience neighborhood violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

UTA Social Work professors Angela J. Hall and Joshua Awua were contributing authors to the study.<\/p>\n

About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The University of Texas at Arlington<\/a>\u202fis a growing public research university in the heart of the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With a student body of\u202fover 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the\u202fUniversity of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation\u2019s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.uta.edu\/academics\/schools-colleges\/social-work\/news\/releases\/2026\/01\/28\/one-in-four-teens-face-violence-higher-substance-use<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Drew Davison and Catherine LaBrenz – UTA – Jan 28, 2026 \u2022 One in four U.S. adolescents is exposed to violence in their neighborhood, and those teens are more than twice as likely to use cigarettes, alcohol or drugs to cope, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Arlington. Published […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,29,32,129,68,119,40,130,36,19,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-age-related","category-alcohol","category-crime-violence-prison","category-culture","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-prevalence","category-prevention-research","category-tobacco-smoking","category-treatment-addiction","category-usa","category-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20686,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20685\/revisions\/20686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}