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A Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free

Strengthening Families Strengthens Communities

		Talk With Your Child
		Get Involved
		Set Rules
		Be a Good Role Model
		Teach Kids To Choose Friends Wisely
		Monitor Your Child's Activities
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Start Talking Before They Start Drinking

The more that young people see and hear alcohol ads, the more likely they are to drink alcohol illegally. Yet, about half of all alcohol ads on the radio are aired during programs that attract three-fourths of the underage listening audience.

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As parents, your biggest fear is probably hearing that your child is hurt or in trouble. All parents want their children to be safe, healthy, and successful, and results from the National Longitudinal Adolescent Health Study show parents have the biggest impact on what kind of person their children grow up to be—even more so than peers or friends.¹ Developing a strong relationship and family bond is the best way to ensure health, happiness, and success for your child.

However, despite their best intentions, not all parents can help to develop, nurture, monitor, and discipline their child in the best way. This is where communities can step in, since supporting a family in ways that improve a child's well-being help to create better adults, and, eventually, better communities.

What To Know. . .

Mental health and substance abuse professionals have found that community family strengthening programs should focus on the relationship between the parents and child rather than only the child and her risk factors or the parents and their parenting abilities.² The findings show that the best ways to protect a child against high-risk behaviors and to promote mental health are to develop programs that:

Support parent-child relationships
Encourage positive discipline methods
Monitor and supervise
Advocate for children
Offer information and support.³

What To Do. . .

For the parents:

Teach effective discipline skills
Teach parent-child interacting skills
Teach parents how to set a good example by not smoking or using alcohol or illegal drugs

For the child:

Teach him social skills
Encourage him to take part in extracurricular activities and after-school programs
Teach him effective communication skills
Encourage him to talk openly about his feelings and experiences

For the parent and child:

Encourage eating dinner together at the table
Support volunteering, such as at school, the library, or a soup kitchen
Encourage parents to take part in the child's activities

Sources

¹ Tanglewood Research. Strengthening Family Involvement in School Substance Abuse Prevention Programs, last referenced 10/01/03.

² Kumpfer, Karol L. 1998. Effective Family Strengthening Interventions. OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin, November.

³ Ibid.

Additional Resources

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), 2000. CSAP Fact Sheet: Family Strengthening Program. Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services. Available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information by calling (800) 729-6686; or writing P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20817-2345.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 2003. SAMHSA Model Programs Fact Sheets. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Created on 11/21/03