New research shows that parents influence a child’s likelihood of involvement with drugs, alcohol and risky sexual activity even after their child leaves for college.

Brigham Young University scientist Laura Walker’s study, to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found that parents’ awareness of what’s going on in their child’s life at college is associated with fewer risky behaviors. Specifically, students with fathers in the loop had a lower likelihood of doing drugs or engaging in risky sexual behaviors.

When mothers were in the know, students were less likely to drink alcohol. The protective effect of mothers’ awareness was more pronounced when the students also felt close to their mom. Under those circumstances, the researchers found that students were less likely to be involved in any of the three risk behavior categories studied: drugs, alcohol and risky sexual activity. Read More.

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