Does Family Dinner Make a Difference for Teens?

Teens who often eat dinner with the family apparently:

• have better relationships with their parents,
• get better grades,
• use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs less than other teens, and
• like having dinner with the family.

Unfortunately, these data may not explain what causes what. For example, maybe having a better relationship with their parents makes teens more likely to have dinner with them, or maybe having dinner together improves relationships with parents. My guess would be that causality runs both ways.

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