DRUG FREE MCKINNEY
January 2022
Coalition Meeting
RSVP www.eventbrite.com/e/drug-free-mckinney-coalition-meeting-tickets-223400977337
Wednesday, Jan 19, 2022, 06:00 PM
6201 Virginia Parkway, McKinney, TX, USA
High-Risk Substance Use Prevention: What are Protective Factors?
Research has improved our understanding of factors that help buffer youth from a variety of risky behaviors, including substance use. These are known as protective factors. Some protective factors for high risk substance use include:
- Parent or family engagement
- Family support
- Parental disapproval of substance use
- Parental monitoring
- School Connectedness
PARENT ENGAGEMENT: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health
Parent engagement also makes it more likely that children and adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as sexual risk behaviors and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. Research shows that school health activities are more successful when parents are involved. For example, when parents volunteer at their children’s school, their children are less likely to start smoking and more likely to get enough physical activity.
Check out this document from the CDC on tips for all three aspects of parent engagement:
1) connecting with parents, 2) engaging parents in school health activities, and 3) sustaining parent engagement in school health.
What is parental monitoring?
You are using parental monitoring when you
- Ask your teen questions like, "Where will you be? Whom will you be with? When will you be home?"
- Check in with your teen by phone.
- Get to know his or her friends and their parents.
- Talk with your teen about how he or she spends time or whether he or she is making safe choices.
- Set and enforce rules for your teen’s behavior by clearly explaining the rules and consequences and following through with appropriate consequences when the rules are broken.
Find out more about how parents help prevent substance abuse here.
Talking with Teens About Alcohol and Other Drugs: 5 Conversation Goals
- Show you disapprove of underage drinking and other drug misuse.
- Show you care about your teen’s health, wellness, and success.
- Show you’re a good source of information about alcohol and other drugs.
- Show you’re paying attention and you will discourage risky behaviors.
- Build your teen’s skills and strategies for avoiding drinking and drug use.
Check out more information about this conversation here.
Follow us on Instagram @mckinneydrugfreeyouth
Contact Us:
Email: karin@drugfreemckinney.org
Website: drugfreemckinney.org
Facebook: facebook.com/drugfreemckinney
Twitter: @drugfreemcktx