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National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Phase 1 (Report No. 1)
3.2.1.2 Parents' Role in Talking to Youth About Drugs
Focus group parents across all 24 target and comparison sites concurred that parents play an important role in preventing their children from using drugs. They stressed the importance of parents talking to their children about the risks and dangers of drug use and emphasized parental accountability and responsibility for youth drug use. They described the negative influence of some parents who neglect to educate their children about the risks of drug use or who actually model drug use.
Most of the focus group parents believed that, in general, parents do not talk enough to their children about drugs. Parents from Portland were the ones who reported that most parents in their community do talk to their children about drugs. Most parents in both target and comparison sites maintained that because of the pervasiveness of the drug culture, it is critical for parents to take an active stand against drug use and communicate that to their children; failing to do so sends the message that parents are permissive about their children's using drugs.
Parents in Washington, D.C., emphasized that it is parents' responsibility to let their own children know that using drugs is unacceptable. These parents also reported that the problem gets worse as children grow older because, as children move from elementary to middle and high school (when drug use becomes more of a problem), their parents' involvement and influence in their lives decreases dramatically.
The focus group parents discussed the following barriers preventing parents from actively educating their children:
- Lack of information about drugs and the youth drug culture -- Many parents are well-intentioned but lack current information about drugs and drug use. When youth know more about drugs and the drug culture than their parents do, as is often the case, it is more difficult for parents to talk to their children. If parents sound uninformed or naive, children dismiss what their parents are trying to tell them. Parents from Atlanta, Hartford, and Portland specifically mentioned their need for education on how to talk to their children about drugs, as did parents in some comparison sites.
- Discomfort discussing the issues -- Many parents were uncertain about how to talk with their children about sensitive issues such as drugs. Other parents feared that talking with their children about drugs might stimulate curiosity or rebellion and encourage experimentation. Parents who used drugs when they were younger (or who still use drugs) felt that it was hypocritical to tell their children to stay away from drugs.
- Uncertainty about how to present drug information -- Many parents did not know how to effectively convey what they do know about the risks of drug use. For example, parents from Atlanta were unsure about the level of detail that should be given to children about the harmfulness of drug use and the appropriate time and age level to present the information.
- Denial that the drug problem could ever affect their children -- Especially outside the central cities, a false sense of security among parents and educators can lead to communitywide denial of a youth drug problem and, consequently, parents' belief that talking to their children about drugs is unnecessary.
- Pessimism and a sense of powerlessness -- Many parents had a pessimistic attitude about youth and community drug use. They feel that drugs are here to stay and that it is unrealistic to try to end youth drug use. Other parents feel that using alcohol and/or marijuana is permissible, or inevitable, or better than using "hard" drugs, especially if their children use at home.
- Lack of time and energy -- When parents have very little time or energy because of competing job and family demands, they are less likely to place a high priority on talking to their children about drugs. Focus group participants in Washington, D.C., perceived that parents, particularly single parents, were struggling to fulfill work and family responsibilities so they could not manage or prioritize their time to talk with their children. Non-urban Sioux City parents said that parents must be attentive to opportunities, look for signals that children want to or need to talk and, above all, not get too busy with "material things" and neglect what is really important.
The general finding across sites was that many parents have to educate themselves about the youth drug culture and learn effective ways to communicate the information to their children. As mentioned above, many parents were not sure of when or how to bring up the subject of drugs with their children, but others discussed ways that they initiated discussions with their children and how they conveyed their messages. Parents often waited to begin a discussion until their children asked questions or mentioned something that had happened at school or in the neighborhood.
However, parents from several sites mentioned that the media had prompted them to discuss the risks and dangers of drugs with their children. For example, one parent from Portland said that he and his family watch television together and they talk about the educational ads they see. A parent from Tucson reported that she discusses the risks and dangers of drugs while her children use the Internet and she explains why there are certain programs on television her children cannot watch.
An additional point raised in the parent focus groups was the complicating factor of parental drug use and how it affects youth's lives. Parents who are themselves users of illegal drugs are an example of a powerful negative influence. Parents' use of tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs also sends powerful messages to their children; for example, focus group parents discussed the kind of parents who take pills for "every little ache and pain" and the pro-drug message that kind of behavior sends to their children.
Parents in focus groups reported their awareness of other parents, who, while not drug users themselves, condone or openly facilitate their children's use. They may approve of or rely on the income brought in by drug-dealing children. Or they may provide their children with alcohol or marijuana to ensure that the drug use occurs at home or because they believe that alcohol or drug use is a rite of passage.
While discussing their role in talking with their children, parents brought up several topics they see as part of this process of education: limit friendships that you see as having a negative influence; strengthen your bond with your children so they will know they can approach you about anything; teach them respect for you and other adults; enlist the help of a friend to whom your children are open; and, above all, do not give up.
A parent in the Sioux City non-urban group said, "I think we need to not give up on our kids, you know, just constantly be after them. I know because I have a fourteen-year-old that there's times you just want to throw your arms up in the air and say 'just let 'em be,' but we can't give up on them."
These above issues point to an urgent need for an aggressive educational campaign for parents that would emphasize their critical role in preventing youth drug use and give them the information they need to talk effectively with and listen to their children, starting early and continuing through their high school years.
