Argumentative teens show signs of independence Far from being reckless, adolescents who stand up for themselves when they disagree with their parents are less likely to succumb to peer pressure to drink or use drugs. In contrast, those who readily bend to their parents" will and abandon their opinion in order to avoid conflict are less autonomous and may be less equipped to resist pressure from friends, researchers found. Dr Joseph Allen, who led the study published in the Child Development journal, said: "The healthy autonomy they'd established at home seemed to carry over into their relationships with peers." The scientists also reported that teenagers who had high levels of support from their mothers at the 13 were less likely to adopt the same patterns of substance use as their friends by their mid-teens, possibly indicating that they were more independently-minded. The University of Virginia team studied a group of more than 150 teenagers and their parents when the children were aged 13, 15 and 16 to examine how factors like their relationships with family and friends and social skills might influence their chance of using alcohol or drugs. The researchers found that children who at 13 were able to defend their view in a reasoned argument with parents about subjects like school grades, money or household rules were less likely to share the same pattern of drink and drug use as their friends at the age of 16. Joanna Chango, a doctoral student and co-author on the paper, said: "It is not a case of shouting, pressuring or whining to get what they want - it is being persuasive in a reasoned, calm manner. If teens can learn how to do that at home they are largely able to take that into their peer group as well.