The Iowa Stater, Sept. 1997

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The Iowa Stater
Sept. 1997

Arresting drug use

It's every parent's worst nightmare. Unable to cope with the physical and social adjustments of the teenage years, a child turns to substance abuse. Even worse, kids name their parents as one of the most important influences in their decision to start abusing.

An ISU professor has designed a prevention program to improve communication between parents and their adolescent and pre- adolescent children and keep kids from turning to substance abuse - and it's working. Ask the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. All have endorsed the Iowa Strengthening Families Program as a model prevention program.

Developed by Virginia Molgaard, associate professor of human development and family studies and a researcher at the Rural Mental Health Center, the program is based on a similar one developed at the University of Utah. It involves a series of two- hour lessons for both parents and their children. For the first hour, parents and children separate. Kids learn to set goals, deal with stress, handle peer pressure and make good friends. Parents work on setting house rules, encouraging good behavior and communicating effectively during disagreements with their children.

In the last hour of each session, parents and children practice their new skills together through activities, games and role play. Each exercise is intended to help parents and kids see things from the other's point of view and encourage discussion that might be ignored once a stressful situation passes.

In 1993, the Strengthening Families program was put to the test in more than 400 rural southern Iowa families with sixth graders. Families filled out questionnaires before and after the program and were videotaped in family discussions. Follow-up surveys with the families one and two years later indicated that both parents and children had put their new skills to use during family interaction.

When Molgaard saw 12- to 15-year olds sitting up, elbows on the table, listening intently to what their parents were saying, she was pleased.

"This isn't the typical response for kids in this age group," she said. "Most things parents say go in one ear and out the other."

One- and two-year follow-up results also indicated that fewer children who attended the program began using alcohol when compared to children in the program's test control groups.

The Strengthening Families program is offered to groups of interested families through many county extension offices. Officials from schools, churches and service organizations, from L.A. to Baltimore, are ordering the program materials and undergoing training on how to direct parent and youth groups, Molgaard said.

"Teen substance abuse is on the rise nationwide," Molgaard said. "It will take the strength of the whole family to prevent it."

Michelle Johnson, News Service

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