Wednesday, November 27, 2002

Helping teens make right choices under pressure

By Stephen Wallace
Psychologist & national chairman and chief executive officer of SADD, Inc.

"Jump the shark," a recently popularized term of art forecasting the failure of everything from sitcoms to politicians, has roots dating back believe it or not to an episode of the 70's megahit, "Happy Days." It seems the Fonz vaulted one such predaceous fish while water-skiing, thus beginning an irreversible slide into syndication, at least according to jumptheshark.com pioneer and "When Good Things Go Bad" author Jon Hein.

Inextricably linked to a moment in time when a bad decision tests the limits of good, the same catchy concept might very well predict if not preempt destructive behavior by young people.

New research from SADD and Liberty Mutual Group reveals similar decision points for limit-testing teens. Taking us on an inside-the-head tour of adolescent thinking, the Teens Today 2002 report serves up a rare glimpse of the "whys" and "why nots" of drinking, drug use and sex. Just as important, it maps a developmental time line that reveals significant spikes in destructive, or potentially destructive, behaviors of sixthtwelfth graders.

While, not surprisingly, teens report upward trends in certain behaviors throughout middle and high school, many decisions seem to be made at key intersections along the way. In an instant, an otherwise systematic route to healthy adulthood can take a turn for the worse. The study found that:

Drinking increases significantly between sixth and seventh grade.

Drug use increases significantly between eighth and ninth grade.

Sexual activity increases significantly between tenth and eleventh grade.

There are other important findings as well. A second spike in drinking takes place between eighth and ninth grade. Younger teens are more likely to be influenced to use drugs by "external" goals (e.g., to fit in) than are older teens, who are more likely to cite "internal" factors (e.g., to relieve stress). Almost one in four sixth graders is engaged in sexual activity; and by twelfth grade, more than three in four teens are drinking and engaged in sexual activity (and almost half report using drugs).

In some ways, the data confirms what many parents fear: young people have easy access to alcohol, drugs and sex. Good decision-making then becomes their last, best line of defense.

Like adults, teens juggle many variables when making decisions about personal behavior. Unlike adults, teens' "consideration set" is remarkably malleable and their thought process fast and fluid. The factors they weigh change in number and proportion depending on their age and the decision they're making. Identifying those factors can help parents help teens plan detours around trouble.

Decision factors regularly mentioned by young people include:

Mental states (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, boredom, curiosity).

Personal goals (e.g., to feel grown up, to fit it, to take risks).

Potential outcomes (e.g., Are others doing it? What are the consequences?).

Significant people (e.g., parents, friends, siblings, clergy).

These, and other factors, feed into an elaborate "cost-benefit analysis," often performed with lightning speed. With deliberate, before-the-fact intervention, parents can slow down the decision-making process and equip their children with the information and support they need to make healthy choices.

The data points out that parents are teens' number one influence to not make destructive decisions. No news there.

Teens Today research has consistently revealed meaningful correlations between parental involvement and teen decision-making.

For example, teens who report regular, open communication with their parents about important issues say they are more likely to try to live up to their parents' expectations and less likely to drink, use drugs or engage in early sexual behavior. Now parents can deploy time-targeted strategies calibrated for maximum impact at specified steps of development. Here are just a few.

Sixth Grade: Demystify alcohol through conversations about its use in society.

Plan events or activities that highlight increasing maturity of early teens.

Reinforce trust as a critical element in parent-child relationships.

Eight Grade: Monitor stressors associated with pending school/grade change.

Promote positive risk-taking activities.

Engage in dialogue about the effects of drugs on personal goals.

Tenth Grade: Educate teens about physical and emotional risks of sexual behavior.

Draw attention to inaccurate "social norms" portrayed through the media.

Encourage open discussion about mutually respectful relationships.

Close behind parents in terms of influence are friends. No surprise there, either. Young people can, and should, play a major role in encouraging classmates to make good decisions. In fact, positive peer influence was the genesis of SADD and remains the cornerstone of remarkably effective education and prevention efforts nationwide.

Understanding the complex world of teen decision-making, including the influence of peers, is a daunting yet important predicate to successful parenting. Young people, now more than ever, need help to safely navigate the shark-infested waters that lie between childhood and adulthood.

[Stephen Wallace is a psychologist and the national chairman and chief executive officer of SADD, Inc. SADD sponsors school-based education and prevention programs nationwide and makes available at no charge the SADD Contract for Life and the Opening Lifesaving Lines brochure, both designed to facilitate effective parent-child communication. Toll-free: 877-SADD-INC. For more information on the SADD/Liberty Mutual Teens Today research, visit www.saddonline.com or www.libertymutualinsurance.com.]

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