A recent study has shown that Asian teens studying away from parental guidance in Canada are more prone to using drugs, smoking, and experiencing sexual abuse.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health and was conducted by four female medical professionals at the University of British Columbia. Results from a survey of over 30,000 students in 2003 were re-examined. The study looked at homestay students from East Asian countries and then compared them with immigrant teenagers who lived with their parents in Canada as well as Canadian-born East Asian teens.

Over 3,000 homestay students were in the sample. The study’s results showed that 23.3% of homestay females had been sexually abused. Only 8.9% of immigrant children and 8% of Canadian-born kids said the same. With boys, 5.9% of homestays reported sexual abuse while only 3.9% of immigrant kids and 2.2% of Canadian-born children said the same.

Study co-author Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc reported, “I’m sure most of the host families are fabulous. But we found unexpectedly high levels of health outcomes and especially the issue related to abuse that suggests clearly that not all families are okay and not all agencies are quite careful enough in screening.”

Drugs, cigarettes, recreational computer use, and playing hooky were also more common among homestay students.

Photo: Talkshoe