Despite advances in technology and availability, one of the best ways for parents and healthcare providers to prevent or help stop teen substance use remains old-fashioned talk, according to new perspective published in the November issue The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. The article, written by a team of trainees at the University of Rhode Island under the leadership of Prochaska Endowed Professor Sarah Feldstein Ewing, emphasizes the reliance on detection through informal observation—as parents and What providers typically do with alcohol and tobacco use – is fast becoming a trend of the past. This article provides specific steps for screening, testing, and intervention for healthcare professionals and parents.
Global youth use of e-cigarettes/vaping, marijuana and under-prescribed opioid use has skyrocketed over the past decade. In some cases, this surge has been fueled by entirely new methods of substance use and delivery—such as cannabis edibles and vaping—as well as lower awareness of harm among young people and/or greater access. These substances have “invisible symptoms” for adults, which in turn are harder for parents, caregivers and healthcare providers to spot.
“What’s different today than generations past is that parents and providers can really rely on what we’ve traditionally thought of as telltale signs that a child is using. Do they come home smelling like cigarettes or marijuana? Their Is there alcohol in their breath? Are they slurring their speech? Feldstein Ewing said. “While some of these are still effective, the trouble we have today is that more and more children are using substances that are no longer as easily accessible. Find. Also, the logo is not as obvious as it used to be. “
This is especially worrisome when it comes to the still-developing teenage brain. Although the way these substances affect the brain is being studied, evidence suggests that their use during adolescence may have adverse effects on long-term neurological and behavioral development. In addition, because adults have difficulty recognizing their use, adolescents may be more likely to transition from experimentation to heavier, more dangerous use in a way that providers or caregivers often do not detect it until school, work, or life until it has a significant impact. their personal or family relationships.
In addition to serving as a professor of psychology in URI’s College of Health Sciences, Feldstein Ewing is a child/adolescent clinician with over 20 years of experience working in adolescent substance abuse prevention and treatment.
“Families would come to me to treat teens who were heavily drugged, and they said, ‘I didn’t even know my kid was doing drugs.’ Parents are having a tough time now that many states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, and I think Parents and providers are really overwhelmed,” she said.
Viewpoint primarily targets adolescent healthcare providers, who are uniquely positioned to assist with detection and facilitate access to treatment services due to their frequent engagement with young adults. But, Feldstein Ewing said, parents and caregivers may also find the advice helpful. Opening up lines of communication with young people can provide teens with a platform to discuss current life issues, including substance use. One immediate way a parent or caregiver can do this is by increasing the frequency of family meals, she said.
“It’s definitely been tough today – families are busy with work, school, sports and other activities. But the point is, if that’s where you see and connect with your child every day, it’s easier to notice little ones behaving or otherwise A paradigm shift. It doesn’t even have to be dinner, it can take the form of a drive or a walk — if you provide a forum for discussing ‘regular stuff’, it’s good for them and you to bring that stuff up.”
Providers are recommended to use well-validated youth-specific substance use screening tools as part of the framework – as are active listening and the use of open-ended questions. Providers can also communicate information that parents cannot, such as the risks and potential long-term effects associated with such substances. By the same token, adolescents may be more likely to open up to providers in a patient-provider context. Parents and providers may find that asking about peer usage can provide useful insights while being considered less intrusive to young people.
“The most important part of all of this is that this is new territory – and that’s okay. What we’ve done in the past no longer applies to these new forms of substances, so we need to readjust. Providers and parents often don’t feel very comfortable Be comfortable discussing topics like substance use, because if teens say ‘yes, we’re using,’ they’re not sure what to do,” Feldstein-Ewing said. “But at the end of the day, even though we often think of teens as spending most of their time with their friends, parents still have the most influence over teen behavior. So knowing where they are, who they hang out with, being open, and doing those things consistently Frightening conversations are important. And, providers can play a critical role in supporting children and families.”
Feldstein Ewing is director of URI’s Neuroscience Center for Resilience in Adolescent Health, which focuses on translational approaches in adolescents to increase understanding of the link between fundamental biological mechanisms, such as the brain, and effective treatments to reduce health risk behaviors in adolescents. Several Feldstein Ewing interns contributed to this article, including lead author Genevieve Dash, MS at the University of Missouri; and Karen Hudson, MCR at URI; and her URI graduate students Emily Kenyon, Emily Carter, and Diana Ho.
