Apples for Health- Parent mightier than pot, research shows

Parent mightier than pot, research shows

ATHENS, Ga., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- People may pass along their genetic tendency for substance abuse to their children but can make up for it with good parenting, U.S. researchers say.

Study co-author Gene Brody of the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences said the findings shows the power of parenting over genetic traits.

Brody, Steven Beach of the UGA Institute for Behavioral Research and Robert Philibert University of Iowa focused their attention on the gene 5HTT that's involved in the transport of the brain chemical serotonin.

Most people carry two copies of the long version of the gene, but those with one or two copies of the short version have been shown in several studies to have a greater likelihood of consuming alcohol and other substances and to have higher levels of impulsivity and risk taking. The researchers interviewed 253 African-American families in rural Georgia over a four-year period.

The study, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, found that nearly 60 percent of the youth had two copies of the long gene, while the remainder had one or two copies of the short gene that confers risk.

Among youth with the genetic risk factor, those who received low levels of involved and supportive parenting increased their substance use at rate three times higher than youth with high levels of parental support.