A study of teenage American students has found that happy childhood memories, along with a positive view of the present and outlook for the future are associated with reduced alcohol use, binge drinking and marijuana use.
Researchers say that action is needed because COVID restrictions have left teenagers isolated and vulnerable. Quarantining results in anxiety, stress and feelings of loneliness in children and adolescents, and the closure of schools has also taken away mental health support systems which some teenagers may rely on.
John Mark Froiland of Purdue University said: “School often seems a source of stress and anxiety to students. This puts them at greater risk of not participating in lessons, getting lower grades and of substance misuse. Many teenagers also aren’t engaging with online learning during Covid or have lower engagement levels.
“But they’re more likely to be enthusiastic learners and not use drink and drugs if teachers take time to build more positive relationships with them. They can help students see that everything they’re learning is truly valuable. Parents have a role to play too.”
The study was based on questionnaires completed by 1961 student participants in San Francisco, of which 53% were female. The researchers examined how happy the students believed their childhood was, how happy they were currently and how optimistic they were about their futures.
In addition, they looked at alcohol and marijuana use over the past 30 days and binge use, as well as academic grades, behaviour during lessons and motivation.
Positive attitudes towards the past, present and future was associated with lower alcohol use, binge drinking and marijuana use, while the reverse was true for negative attitudes.
An optimistic outlook increased the likelihood that they would be motivated and focus on learning. Other findings included drinking being associated with marijuana use, and that girls had better behavioural engagement than boys.
Source: News-Medical.Net
Journal information: Froiland, J.M., et al. (2020) Positive and negative time attitudes, intrinsic motivation, behavioral engagement and substance use among urban adolescents. Addiction Research & Theory. doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2020.1857740.
