Source: The Independent (UK)



Pubdate: 21 April 1999



Author: Cherry Norton, Social Affairs Correspondent 







ubject: British teens are 'Europe's delinquents'

By Cherry Norton, Social Affairs Correspondent 



Teenagers from the British Isles take themselves

less seriously than those in the rest of Europe,

according to research. A study of children from

five big cities found that those from Newcastle

and Dublin were the most likely to use cannabis,

shoplift, fight in the street and vandalise buildings. 



"Teenagers from different cities seem to have

quite different outlooks on life. Those in

Continental Europe take themselves and their

futures far more seriously," said Aoife Brinkley, of

the psychology department at Trinity College,

London. She presents her findings today at a

meeting of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 



The research involved nearly 3,500 children, aged

14 and 15, from Bremen in Germany, Groningen

in the Netherlands, Rome, Dublin and Newcastle.



"Substance misuse and delinquent behaviour were

highest in Dublin and Newcastle, where the

policies promote 'abstinence is good'. In the

Netherlands, where cannabis is decriminalised

and the policy is much more one of teaching

children about different drugs from an early age,

less children had tried [drugs]," Ms Brinkley said. 



The teenagers were asked about smoking,

drinking and drug-taking as well as their attitudes

to substance use and how they spent their free

time. 



One in 10 surveyed had tried cannabis and one in

10 had smoked it in the previous four weeks. But

in Newcastle and Dublin, the number smoking

cannabis was one in seven. Teenagers in

Groningen and Rome were the least likely to have

tried cannabis, with less than one in 20 saying

they had smoked it in the previous four weeks.

The findings showed that boys smoked cannabis

at a younger age than girls. A third of the male

users and a fifth of the female users had tried it by

the time they were aged 12. 



Teenagers in Newcastle and Dublin were also

more likely to have tried "harder" drugs. In

Newcastle, 7 per cent had taken amphetamines,

6 per cent had sniffed glue and 5 per cent had

tried "magic mushrooms". 



Children from Newcastle and Dublin were also

found to be more aggressive and showed more

signs of delinquent behaviour. Nearly 50 per cent

of those in Dublin had fought in public and 33 per

cent in Newcastle, compared with 11 per cent in

Rome and 25 per cent in Groningen. They were

also more likely to write graffiti - over 50 per cent

in Dublin and over 33 per cent in Newcastle,

compared with less than 25 per cent in the

continental cities. 



Traditionally, the rate of substance use among

boys is double that among girls but the findings of

this survey showed there was no difference

between the sexes, although boys started at a

younger age. 



The researchers believe the differences in

attitudes and use of drugs should be taken into

account when designing policies and strategies to

curb drug abuse. 



"The importance of effective prevention strategies

in reducing the demand for psycho-active

substances is recognised and acknowledged in all

states of Europe," Ms Brinkley said. "It does

seem that in countries where they accept children



are going to use drugs and focus on teaching them

not to misuse them, teenagers are less likely to do

so."