Xavier High School FCD Student Attitudes and Behavior Survey Parent Presentation September 2014 FCD Educational Services Tim Ryan, FCD Prevention Specialist 1

What is prevention?  A collaborative process involving schools, families, and communities that promotes the health and welfare of young people by planning and implementing strategies that:  Reduce risk factors that contribute to unhealthy behaviors  Identify and intervene on unhealthy behaviors  Nurture and strengthen protective factors that contribute to health and well-being

Risk Factors for Addiction  Family history  Age of first use  Cravings  Tolerance  Surroundings 3

Current Concerns  Always alcohol  Marijuana  Nicotine  E-cigarette  Chew and dip  Prescription medicines  Heroin 4

Marijuana   Legalization   Medicinal   Potency   Edibles   Perceived risk   Availability What’s the same   Addictive   Adults vs. kids   Learning and memory   Motivation   Maturity   Legal issues for kids   School discipline issue 5 What’s changing

“Study Drugs”  Adderall & Ritalin  ADD and ADHD  Stimulants  Side effects  Nervousness  Restlessness  Excitability  Dependence

Prescription Pills  Painkillers  Vicoden  Oxycontin  Percocet  Generics 7

The Teenage Brain  Alcohol and other drugs interfere with forming connections in a teen’s brain.  These connections are intended to be formed without the presence of alcohol or other drugs.  A brain in transition from child to adult is more vulnerable to addiction. 8

The Teenage Brain Front brain functions that develop during adolescence:  Abstract thinking  Higher-order logic and reasoning (moral dilemmas)  Self control (emotions, impulses)  Future-oriented thinking  Organization 9

Social Norms   People tend to do what they perceive everyone else is doing.   What people think everyone else is doing becomes the norm. But…   …perceptions are not always accurate. Still…   …behaviors occur based on false norms. 10

Basics  Administered October 23, 2013  Grades 9-12  1061 surveys  Paper survey  Patterns are important  The goal is prevention  Building the Xavier vision

Reliability and Validity Input  Vetted by the experts  Respectful and curious students  25 checks for inconsistent answers Outcome  97% of students gave valid responses  Data reliable for accurate trends

13 Key Findings  The vast majority of Xavier students hold positive beliefs, engage in responsible decision making, and exhibit healthy behaviors.

14 Healthy Trends  51% of students have never had a whole drink.  69% of students do not drink, or typically drink 1-2 times per year.  94% have never used alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs before coming to, or during, a school event.

Social Norms  Gross exaggerations  False perceptions  Perception influences reality  Affects younger children  Research-based prevention strategy

Key Findings  Xavier students grossly overestimate alcohol and marijuana use, and underestimate abstinence from alcohol and marijuana use, on the part of their peers. 16www.fcd.org

17 False Perceptions - Attitudes  8% of all students think “it is cool to get drunk.”  Yet, 29% of all students assume schoolmates think “it is cool to get drunk.”  13% of 12 th graders think “it is cool to get drunk.”  Yet, 44% of 12 th graders assume schoolmates think “it is cool to get drunk.”

False Perceptions - Behavior  83% of 9 th grade students typically never drink alcohol.  Yet only 27% of 9 th grade students believe their peers do not drink.  15% of 10 th graders say they typically use marijuana 1-2 times a year or more.  Yet, 78% of 10 th graders believe their classmates typically use marijuana at this rate or more.

Alcohol  295 students drank within the past 30 days.  th -12 th grade students drank within the past 30 days.  Among 10 th -12 th graders, 125 students consumed 5 or more drinks in a row within the past 30 days.  9% of 9 th graders drank in the past 30 days, versus 49% of 12 th graders.  Grades 11 and 12 report most pressure to drink.

Tobacco  88% of all students have not smoked a cigarette within the past 12 months.  Increases in cigarette use occur from 9 th -12 th grades.  Smokeless tobacco use is more prevalent, especially in grade 11.

Marijuana  81% of students typically never use marijuana.  Use by 12 th graders is most prevalent.  Alcohol use predicts marijuana use.

Other Drugs The vast majority of all students do not use other drugs. In the past 12 months:  3% over-the-counter drug misuse  3% prescription stimulant drug misuse By comparison:  44% alcohol use  20% marijuana use

All Use Equals Risk  A “higher-risk drinker” is a student who consistently reports consuming 5 or more drinks on 1 or more days within the past 30 days. (110 students in grades 10-12)  A “lower-risk drinker” is someone who reports typically having at least one drink 1 to 2 times per year, and who has had a drink within the last year, but who did not report consuming 5 or more drinks of alcohol on any day within the past 30 days. (92 students in grades 10-12)  A “non-drinker” is someone who reports never having had a whole drink in his or her lifetime, or has not had a drink within the past year. (321 students in grades 10-12) 23www.fcd.org

24 Key Findings  “Higher-risk drinkers” are at higher risk for a wide variety of negative emotional, health, and social consequences, as well as use of other substances.

Consequences of Higher-Risk Use  “Non-drinkers” are most likely to receive “mostly A’s.”  98% of all students say academics are important to them. Grades Received in Relation to Alcohol and Marijuana Use Yearly or More Frequent Marijuana Users Higher-Risk Drinkers Non-Drinkers Mostly A’s Mostly B’s Mostly C’s/D’s

Consequences of Higher-Risk Use On one or more occasions within the past 12 months:  75% got sick, vomited, and/or had a hangover  62% forgot what happened  56% did something they later felt sorry for  42% had a fight, argument with a friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend  34% got into a sexual situation they regretted.  31% passed out  31% got in trouble at home or school 26

Faculty and Staff  90% of students feel “valued as a person” at Xavier.  93% feel that “teachers and school staff care about me as a student.”  85% feel that “my school is making a sincere effort to address alcohol and other drug use problems.”

Family  High levels of involvement and supervision  61% of students have talked with a parent about substances in the past year, but only 34% have done so more than once.  91% report clear family rules about substances.

School Protective Factors  Academic achievement  Extracurricular participation  Connectivity to trusted adults  Opportunities for natural highs  A community where non-use is respected, rewarded, and normal  Early intervention health systems  Infrastructural investment in the social norms approach 29

Parents  Listening to your kids  Balancing school, family life, and friends  Knowing where your kids go  Knowing what’s in the medicine cabinet 30

Parents  Educate yourself and each other about what may be available to teens  Know if your teen is adhering to limits 31  Know where teens are spending their allowance  Work and communicate with other parents to help each other hold the line

Healthy Expectations  Explain why limits exist  Allow teens to have their say, but not always their way  Balance freedoms with growing maturity, not just older age 32

Take Away Points for Parents  All student use equals risk  Delayed use can prevent later problems  The majority of students are making healthy choices most of the time  Adult role modeling and expectations are vital to a healthy prevention climate 33

What Works? Effective prevention programs… engage …engage the entire community change …change social norms perceptions provide …provide accurate, age-appropriate drug information develop …develop awareness of consequences of use reinforce …reinforce clear and consistent expectations of health balance …balance health and discipline systems delay …delay first use of alcohol and other drugs address …address known risk factors and reasons kids use teach …teach early intervention strategies promote …promote alternative ways to get high support …support and encourage non-use

Resources FCD Educational Services A part of “FCD: Prevention Works” National Institute on Drug Abuse

36 Thank you! FCD Educational Services