Keeping Teens out of Trouble

Adolescence is like learning how to drive. Teens need help from parents to get a "learner's permit" and then to master the necessary skills to becoming an adult.

So says Angela Diaz, M.D., a researcher for the largest national study of adolescents. Waves I and II of this study took place between 1994 and 1996. The third wave of the study took place between 2001 and 2002. The findings of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (ADD Health) show building a strong relationship with your teen can greatly influence whether he or she starts smoking and drinking, has sex at an early age, considers or attempts suicide, or carries or uses knives and guns.

"For teens, parents are always influential. Adolescents need to feel connected to their parents and relatives, to their friends and schools, to their communities. They need nurturing, they need guidance and they need limits," says Diaz.

The research team headed by Robert Blum, M.D., Ph.D., director of the division of general pediatrics and adolescent health at the University of Minnesota, found that a teen's race, income and whether he or she lives in a one- or two-parent household were only small risk factors for engaging in unhealthy behavior and not as influential as health experts previously believed.

Instead, the study of 12,000 adolescents found teens who perform poorly in school and frequently hang out with friends with nothing to do are more likely than teens with a positive academic and social life, to smoke, drink and be involved in weapons-related violence.

Keys to a positive relationship

The study also confirmed previous findings that teens who are close to their parents are less likely to experiment with risky activities. The latest findings are a clear signal that parents need to get to know their teen's friends, be involved in their child's academic and personal life, and know how their teens spend their free time, Blum said.

Here are some tips and strategies on what you can do as a parent to build a solid relationship with your teenager:

• The "danger zone" for drug use is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. So, avoid leaving your children alone after school. Have your children participate in adult-supervised, after-school and summer activities because teens are most vulnerable to using drugs when they are hanging out with nothing to do.

• Be actively involved in your child's life. Establish special times during the week to do something with your children. "Even sitting as a family for a meal for a day is very, very important," Diaz says.

• Many parents bend over backward to avoid conflicts with their teens, but part of being a parent is establishing clear and consistent limits without feeling guilty or apologetic. Take time to talk to your teens so they clearly understand the rules and consequences if boundaries are broken. Take disciplinary measures that relate to the task your teen failed to do, say the authors of "Raising Emotionally Intelligent Teenagers."

• Know how your child is performing academically, and treat school as a great opportunity for your teen to achieve his or her dreams. "Having a great academic life, learning the skills in school to be successful in society is crucial," says Diaz.

• According to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, it is important for you to tell your children often that you don't ever want them to use tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. Use role-playing to help your child practice ways to refuse drugs. If you're a good listener and communicator, your child will feel more at ease to talk to you about drugs.

• Talk early and often about sex with your child, instead of locking the door to protect your son or daughter from sexually transmitted diseases or an unwanted pregnancy, Blum says. Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that teens are more likely to discuss risks with their sexual partners and more likely to use condoms if their parents have talked to them about sex. "If you don't talk to your kids about sex, your message is not getting heard. A lot of times, parents are waiting for their kids to ask. But a lot of times, kids don't ask, so it's important to start talking," says Kim Miller, Ph.D., a behavioral scientist and research sociologist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC.

Study results

The ADD Health researchers first questioned 90,000 teens in grades seven to 12 from 134 schools about their health, friendship, self-esteem and expectations for the future. A core group of 12,000 teens was interviewed, along with their parents, to form a nationally representative sample of American teens, Blum says. The study found that:

• More than half of teens surveyed said they do not drink, 29 percent drink between once a year and once a month and 10 percent drink weekly.

• More than one quarter of teens smoke cigarettes. Fifty-five percent said they never smoke, and 18 percent are former smokers.

• One in four teens said they used a weapon, carried a weapon or were involved in an incident where they or someone else was injured by a weapon.

• Nearly 13 percent of the teens said they either thought about or attempted suicide.

• Reports of having sexual intercourse increased from 16 percent for seventh to eighth graders to 60 percent for high school juniors and seniors.

Related Articles Parenting Teen Substance Abuse Talking to Teens About Sex and Pregnancy: 10 Tips for Parents

External Sources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Analysis of the Study by the Center for Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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