Adolescents and marijuana: Links between the consumption level and family structure, cohesion and power

Nowadays, even when it is still classified as a narcotic, of which the detention implies judicial pursuits, marijuana is underestimated in all its consequences and all its effects. Approximately 50 % of 17-year-olds declared experimenting with marijuana starting at the average age of 15 (OFDT 2007). "Cohesion" and "Power", two fundamental elements of the family structure that were not yet explored in this domain, were able to inform us on the link between them and adolescent's marijuana consumption. For this, knowing the difficulty of adolescents' recruitment, we chose an adapted and attractive tool to evaluate, at this age, a reality as complex as the family universe, the Family System Test (FAST). The research was conducted at the Monceau Center for Family Therapy with adolescents (n = 18) aged between 15 and 19. The results showed weak hierarchic relations with big "intergenerational coalitions" within the families. Furthermore, an absence or a bad relationship with the father would have a link with the highest levels of marijuana consumption. At last, the study showed that the non-equilibrated family structure (extreme levels of cohesion and power) could be more significantly correlated with marijuana consumption behaviour, on a larger sample. (c) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.