Parents' Expectations Affect Kids' Drug Choices

If you think they’ll try it or you think they won’t, you’re right. The expectations we place on our children — the “voice of reason” that must be constantly repeated over and over again to relay simple acts of etiquette and morality –- really does sink in… eventually.

As adults, the inner dialogue we continually replay in our heads when no one else is looking comes directly from the people who influenced us the most in our childhood. These personal beliefs encompass more than just how we should dress or how successful we need to be in life. The entire fabric of our conscience is woven by millions of pieces of unconscious communications that frame the very essence of our personality.

Self Fulfilling Effects on Children’s Alcohol Use

Stephanie Madon, associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University, and lead author of a new study, elaborates on her team’s findings. “When mothers overestimated their teens’ future use of alcohol, the teens developed the self-view that they were likely to drink alcohol in the future, which ultimately led them to drink more.”

In previous studies, the team discovered that “mothers’ beliefs about their teen’s future use of alcohol were about 50 percent correct and 50 percent incorrect, and that the incorrect portion of mothers’ beliefs created a self-fulfilling prophecy — teens behaved like their mothers had incorrectly expected them to,” says Madon.

Expectations Influence a Desired Outcome

Self-fulfilling prophecies are, in essence, internal motivations to prove what one believes to be true about one’s self. Parental beliefs about their children are strongly linked to the child’s view of their own selves, creating an overwhelming desire to perform in the role that has been assigned to them.

“When we believe something — even if we’re wrong — when we believe it’s true, we act as though it is,” Madon explains. “And sometimes when you act as though something’s true, your behaviors will cause the belief to become true.

“So I think the moral here is to help children develop positive and pro-social self-concepts about themselves, because children are likely to make choices that match how they view themselves.”

Tell Us: Have you seen evidence of high or low expectations like these influencing behaviors in your own family? What about in school or at work?

Drug Facts Chat Day

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is sponsoring the second annual Drug Facts Chat Day for students and teachers across the country. A panel of NIDA’s top researchers, scientists, and addiction experts will be available live online to answer questions from teens about addiction, drugs, and their effects.

The Need for Open, Honest Conversation with Teenagers about Drugs and Alcohol

Illicit drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and inhalants are still important areas of concern for adolescents, and in an effort to spark the conversation and get the word out, NIDA is offering a second opportunity for schools to participate and get the straight facts about the impact of drugs.

How Can I Participate in Drug Facts Chat Day?

There are two ways to take advantage of this valuable, once-a-year resource:

1. Register your school to have full access with the ability for students to ask questions and receive answers
2. Log on October 7th to view the chat and observe the questions and answers as they come up on the screen – the “view only” option is also loaded with quizzes and factoids to keep students fully engaged

Computer labs can be reserved specifically for students to come in throughout the day and ask questions, or teachers can log on in their classrooms and students can ask questions together while participating in classroom dialogue.

Go to DrugAbuse.gov to type your questions and a reply can be seen as soon as it’s posted by the experts. If your question isn’t answered right away, come back after the chat is finished to view a full transcript of the day’s discussion.

How Can My School Get Registered for Drug Facts Day?

Priority will be given to those schools that participated last year but weren’t able to have their questions answered in a timely manner due to high volume. Have your school’s principal contact Brian Marquis at Bmarquis@nids.nih.gov to register for full access participation in this exciting, extraordinary event.

Tell Us: Do you like this approach to getting kids to talk about drugs and alcohol? Should parents be present or have the option to request alternative information gathering (such as electing that a child visit the library to look up information in books)?