Family Checkup: Positive Parenting Prevents Drug Abuse
- Online Tool
- Scientifically Informed
This resource presents five questions that highlight parenting skills that are important in preventing the initiation and progression of drug use among youth.
Review the additional tips that are included for each question to add more insight into the skills and goals of your interaction with your child.
How To Use
Click on the questions to obtain the information, or use the Content Box on the left side of the page to navigate. For each question, a video clip shows positive and negative examples of the skill, and additional videos and information are provided to help you practice positive parenting skills. Questions include:
- Are you able to communicate calmly and clearly with your teenager regarding relationship problems?
- Do you encourage positive behaviors in your teenager on a daily basis?
- Are you able to negotiate emotional conflicts with your teenager and work toward a solution?
- Are you able to calmly set limits when your teenager is defiant or disrespectful? Are you able to set limits on more serious problem behavior such as drug use, if or when it occurs?
- Do you monitor your teenager to assure that he or she does not spend too much unsupervised time with peers?
Who Should Use
This resource may be most helpful for parents of young adolescents (12-16); and parents of older teens/young adults (17-25).
Scientific Background
This resource was developed by The Child and Family Center, an organization dedicated to understanding and promoting mental health and resilience in families in all cultural communities. The CFC partners with the Prevention Science Institute, a multi-disciplinary research institute. The core mission of the PSI is to improve the lives and well-being of at-risk children, individuals, and families throughout the lifespan.
Research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has shown the important role that parents play in preventing their children from starting to use drugs. Citations for this resource include:
