Parents and guardians want to protect their teens from addiction. Talking to teens about addictive drugs is important, but parents and guardians should also focus on protective factors that can help prevent their teen from engaging in substance use.

What are Protective Factors?

Protective factors include things about a person, their family, or their environment that help them avoid problems or deal with challenges better. These factors will either make it less likely that bad things will occur or will help reduce the harm when a person faces a difficult situation. Research shows that increasing positive experiences, better relationships, and healthier environments reduces problematic behaviors in youth better than simply addressing the behaviors and changing nothing else does.

What Can Parents and Guardians Do?

The following are five actions for parents and guardians to help reduce the risk of substance use during the teen years:

1. Develop Strong Beliefs about Healthy Living

Teaching strong beliefs about healthy living can influence choices and motivate youth to prioritize their well-being. A belief in maintaining good health helps youth avoid behaviors that will be harmful and value healthy behaviors, such as physical activity, managing stress, and avoiding harmful substances.

2. Support Your Teen

Supporting teens gives them the advantage of having someone to count on to help them at any point in their lives. Teens need support, even though they are becoming more independent. Emotional support can especially help them feel secure and loved. The emotional security that teens feel may help them turn to a parent when they have problems, instead of isolating themselves or turning to substances for relief. When parents can provide good advice as needed, it can help teens make good decisions for themselves.

3. Involve Youth in Family Activities

Regular participation in family dinners, outings, and shared hobbies fosters strong family bonds, support, and communication. The increased time together helps parents monitor behavior, notice early warning signs, and talk through expectations regarding substance use. Furthermore, positive experiences within families may reduce the likelihood of teens being hyper focused on seeking social approval from peers, because home is a place where they feel like they belong. 

4. Stay Connected with Your Teen

The relationship that parents and guardians develop with their teen over time is important. Having this close relationship makes it easier to notice if there is a change in behavior, friends, or activities. Effective and consistent communication can increase a sense of connection and allows teens to trust their parents or guardians with personal information. Also, this gives teens the attention and connectedness they still need. Studies have shown that youth who feel like they have a supportive and nurturing relationship with their parents or guardians are more likely to internalize family values and norms, which can act as a buffer against external pressures to start substance abuse.

5. Be a Good Role Model

Research has found that parents and guardians who use substances are more likely to have youth who try substances or become addicted. Thus, it is important for parents and guardians to limit substance use around children or stop it altogether. Teens are aware when parents say one thing but do another thing, so words should match actions. Parents and guardians should also talk to other family members who use substances about not exposing their teens or children to it.