April 7, 2011 GUEST BLOG POST by Ahjine Garmony
I am interested in research about how parents communicate with adolescent children about alcohol use. Ennett and colleagues conducted a study that gives some insights about this issue. It showed that a high percentage of parents talk about negative consequences for the use of alcohol. By communicating to adolescents about alcohol, they know how alcohol can affect them negatively and are more likely to refrain from drinking.
The study also looked at how parents communicate about the effects of alcohol. In the study they referred to “hard” communication as more direct and actually telling the adolescent NOT to use the alcohol. For softer communication, the parent would talk about the potential harm and circumstances if they were to use alcohol but not necessarily tell them directly to not use it. It was found that parents tended to use softer communication about potential harm and circumstances in which alcohol use may be promoted. The softer approach may help youth to be better informed and make their own decisions about not using it…
Ennett, Susan T., Karl E. Bauman, Vangie A. Foshee, Michael Pemberton, and Katherine A. Hicks. “Parent-Child Communication About Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use: What Do Parents Say and Does It Affect Youth Behavior?” Journal of Marriage and Family 63.1 (2001): 48-62.
I agree with the approach recommended by Ahjine. I feel that when communicating with teenagers, the more you tell them that they cannot do something, the more tempting that restriction becomes. By communicating with teens about the dangers and problems with the use of alcohol, rather than telling them they cannot use alcohol and that is it, I believe that the child will respect you more and therefore there is a better chance of them listening to the parent. In cases such as these, I believe that soft communication is much more effective than hard communication.
Melissa makes a great point.. I did the case study titled “: No, Everybody Doesn’t: Changing Mistaken Notions of the Extent of Drinking on a College Campus”. The RU Sure Campaign does a great job of communicating to college students in a non-invasive way. I think that parents should not look at drinking behavior in isolation, drinking needs to be looked at as part of the social interactions that naturally occur among students. For students that have a problem making a social connection or finding social relationships, the solution is about helping them to find ways in which they learn that they can meet others and become part of the college culture without drinking dangerously. Parents need to make sure that they do not ignore the problem if it arises; they should talk often with their children and make sure that they have an open conversation without making them feel like they can’t tell the truth.
I have to agree with Ahjine’s blog discussing the effectiveness of soft communication over hard communication. By communicating in a way to increase knowledge, and inhibiting a safe and comfortable environment to discuss the facts and concerns of alcohol to adolescents it is best to present it in a way that is non threatening so that the information is absorbed as fact, then the child gets to process and make their own educated decision. The opposite can be said when considering hard communication, because the adolescent will most likely be making a choice as a reacting to your reaction and strict unexplained declaration of disapproval.
This post certainly brings to mind the case study we went over in class concerning drinking on college campuses. The program creators at Rutgers University seemed to have used this “soft communication” as the basis for their program. Rather than telling students not to drink, they rather informed students as to just how much other students there really did drink. It was found that students had been under the impression that other students were drinking significantly more than they really were. Once presented with the true drinking figures students were more likely to make informed decisions regarding their own drinking. This program I think was so successful because it was specifically tailored to these students at Rutgers. Students were not presented with facts and figures about just a general population, but rather about their own peer group. Being able to identify with as specific a population as possible, I believe leads to more successful results.