Did you know?

• Binge drinking rates continue to significantly drop among all grade levels.

• Except for marijuana use, all illicit substance use rates are the lowest in 20 years.

• Marijuana use has remained steady for five years and decreased among 8th graders.

• Over the past 15 years, use of Vicodin and OxyContin among 12th graders has significantly dropped.

When you hear the above results, taken from the 2018 Monitoring the Future study, what is your reaction? Do you scoff that cannot be true and look for any information that contradicts these facts, or do you exclaim “Wow! That’s amazing, what went right?” For the sake of prevention, we must ask ourselves what went right; hopefully, then we can apply what we learn to the upward trend of vaping and increasing rates of teen depression and anxiety.

To dig into what went right, we must consider protective factors and mental health promotion, without getting weighed down by scare tactics. A study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, reported that parents who discussed drug-use scenarios and “learning-focused advice were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of substance use” (Chaplin, et al., 2014). However, parents who focused on rules against drug use was “associated with a greater likelihood of substance use” (Chaplin, et al., 2014). The beneficial parent discussions include conversations about real-world scenarios and youth sharing what they have learned about substance use. Supportive and warm parenting produced the most positive result, rather than a critical parenting style (Chaplin, et al., 2014).

Additionally, teens are less able to predict future consequences than adults, so discussions of long-term consequences may have less effect on teens’ behavior (Chaplin, et al., 2014). To have a greater impact, parental discussions may focus on the in-the-moment decisions teens make. For instance when faced with a stressful situation, such as a new social setting, what would be an alternative to drinking to feel more comfortable interacting with new people? Research on stress and addiction reveal that “Stress pathways [in the brain] may enhance craving, loss of control, and compulsion” (Sinha, 2008). Helping adolescents understand their stress triggers and learn to control their reactions will reduce the likelihood of substance misuse.

Teens are more willing to talk about mental health issues than generations past which may be a key to substance use prevention. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, 70 percent of students surveyed rank “anxiety and depression top the list of problems teens see among their peers,” and 51 percent report being concerned about drug addiction among their peers (Horowitz and Graf, 2019). The ranking cut almost equally across gender, racial, and socio-economic lines, as the primary concern. “Even though it’s troubling that so many teens worry about their peers’ well-being, it might also represent progress in how Americans relate to and empathize with the mentally ill” (Mull, 2019). A portion of the increase in self-reported rates may be attributed to a rise in awareness and efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness.

The majority of risk factors are common for both mental illness and substance use disorder. For instance, childhood traumatic experiences, family history, and chronic stress increase a youth’s risk of developing depression and/or substance use disorder. About half of people with mental illness will also experience substance use disorder during their lifetimes (National Institute, 2018). Additionally, mental illness may contribute to substance use disorders in youth. On average, a person waits 10 years after first experiencing depressive systems to seek treatment (Mental Health, 2018). Teens might be reluctant to tell an adult about depressive or anxiety symptoms and self-medicate to relieve those feelings. One of the greatest protective factors for youth is a positive relationship with at least one trusted adult. Encouraging open and honest conversations with adults from a young age will make talking with an adult about mental health less intimidating for teens, and in the long term reduce the risk of developing substance use disorders.

For more information on protective factors as related to substance use, the Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health (2016) outlines the protective factors shown to have the greatest impact on minimizing the risk of an adolescent developing substance use disorder:

Individual protective factors:

• Social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and moral competence (skills that help youth integrate feelings, thinking, and actions to achieve goals)

• Self-efficacy (a person’s belief he/she can control or abstain from use)

• Spirituality (belief in a higher being, or involvement in spiritual practices)

• Resiliency (a person’s capacity to adapt to change and stressful events in healthy ways)

Family, School, and Community protective factors:

• Opportunities for positive social involvement (meaningfully involved with family, school, or community)

• Recognition for positive behavior (recognized for efforts and accomplishments)

• Bonding (attachment and positive communication with family, school, and community)

• Healthy beliefs and standards for behavior (clear norms that community expectations about not misusing alcohol and drugs).

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By Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler

Poe Center for Health Education

This article and others are brought to you monthly by the partners with Sampson County Healthy Carolinians. This organization is committed to address major health and social issues within the county. Their on-going efforts are to provide prevention, education and awareness of the available resources that can assist families with their overall health and wellness. For more information about Sampson County Partners for Healthy Carolinians, visit www.scpfhc.org.