PICTURED: With grant support from the National Institutes of Health, SUNY Albany Professor James Jaccard is playing a critical role in one of the largest studies of adolescent risk behavior ever conducted. Jaccard served on the core team that designed the survey of some 20,000 adolescents and he is conducting analyses of the data. He is shown here with social psychology students.

When it comes to teen-agers and parents and sex and alcohol, you could say that James Jaccard has heard it all.

He's heard all the reasons parents think it's a waste of time to talk to their teen-agers about sex and alcohol, and he's heard all the reasons teen-agers would be happy to avoid such conversations with their parents.

But after exhaustively analyzing communications between parents and teen-agers in thousands of families, the SUNY Albany social psychologist has developed a few key suggestions - and scientific evidence to back them up.

His No.1 suggestion? Parents - talk to your teen-agers, especially about issues like sex and alcohol. It's worth it.

"Parents do make a difference. They can have an impact on their kids," says Jaccard, a member of United University Professions, New York State United Teachers' affiliate at the State University. "I think researchers are coming to realize just how important parents are."

Some might say it's an obvious truth. But, says Jaccard, too many parents don't believe it, or they don't know the best ways to talk with their teen-agers. And even in his field, says Jaccard, he's had to overcome the view that parents have little effect on adolescents.

"Many years ago when I first started looking at prevention approaches to teen-age pregnancies, I did a thorough review of the literature on the topic. I found there were very few programs that were parent-based and the people who were doing research in the area were concluding that parents have little effect on adolescents," he recounts.

"I did a critique of that research and found it methodologically and conceptually weak. I evolved some theoretical approaches to the communication process and, as I've applied them empirically, I've found that parents can make a difference in their adolescents' lives," says Jaccard, who was awarded the highest faculty rank, Distinguished Professor, by the SUNY Board in 1998.

Today, some 15 years after he began looking at prevention approaches, Jaccard is nationally recognized for his work. Known for his excruciating attention to measurement, he has surveyed thousands of families and carefully analyzed the content and extent of communications between parents and teen-agers in the areas of alcohol and sexual behavior.

Simply stated, Jaccard has found that parents generally don't talk enough with their children about these topics. And when they do talk with them, he says, "it's usually fairly superficial, especially with respect to alcohol - it often comes down to 'just don't do it.' It needs to be pursued in more depth and I think parents need to accept that responsibility as part of parenting."

When parents do pursue topics in greater depth and have healthy ongoing communication with their teen-agers, they influence the behavior of their adolescents. They also strengthen their children's ability to make wise decisions.

Consider, for example, a teen-ager who has been drinking alcohol at a party and must now decide whether he or she will drive home. The teen-ager is surrounded by peers who have also been drinking. In that situation, the "just don't do it" warning may not be sufficient.

"What we have found in our research is that it is not only important how adolescents construe the act of drunken driving but also how they construe the alternatives available to them, how they see the advantages and disadvantages of asking a friend to drive a car or calling their parents and asking them for a ride home. Those things are just as important as how they construe the act of drunken driving.

"When you look at the materials that are covered in health education classes, they never discuss those things. The focus is on the negative consequences of drunken driving when you really do need to look at those other things as well. Health education teachers often don't have the time to get into these areas. But parents can take the time and can make the difference," says Jaccard.

'Just Say No' not enough

In short, when parents and their teen-agers discuss drunken driving, not only should parents say "don't do it" and talk about the serious possible consequences, but they should also talk about situations that may arise and how best to handle them. They should work out an acceptable and viable plan for what to do if a teen-ager makes the mistake of drinking too much.

"The safest thing is to call home for a ride or to call for a taxi," says Jaccard in a handbook he is field-testing with hundreds of families. "Explore these options with your teens, but be realistic. For example, you might say, 'When I was a teen, there was no way I would have called my parents in such a case. How can we do this so that I know you will?'"

At the same time, parents should take a strong stance against under-age drinking, Jaccard says.

"With the younger adolescents, what the research shows is that if parents are somewhat forgiving about their children drinking, then that usually leads to greater levels of drinking," he notes.

Similarly, a strong abstinence position by the parent makes a difference in whether teen-agers engage in premarital sex. "If you start sending mixed messages, things happen," he says.

"One of the toughest issues for parents is how to, on the one hand, convey your disapproval of your adolescent engaging in sex at an early age and the fact that you are not comfortable with them doing so, while at the same time giving them information about birth control so that if they do engage in sex they do so in a way that is safe.

"We respect the values of parents who are opposed to birth control, but we still urge them to talk to their children about it. At the very least, they need to explain their opposition and to put this in perspective for the teen. Adolescents will hear about birth control. Parents should ensure that their children have a value structure that will put what they hear into context," he says.

"In the area of sex and birth control, most parents, when they talk with their kids, talk about the dangers of pregnancy and the dangers of sexually transmitted disease. There's a lot more going on in an adolescent's head than the threat of disease and pregnancy. There are many other reasons that they are thinking about becoming sexually active when they are very young and all of those need to be confronted," he says.

If parents talk with their teen-agers about birth control, "you have to convey in no uncertain terms that you are not suggesting that they have sex Š You need to take that extra step and make sure they don't think you are more approving of sex than you really are," says Jaccard. Especially in that context, it's important to consider a broad range of reasons for not having sex, he adds.

"If the only two reasons kids aren't having sex are pregnancy and disease and you reduce those threats by telling them about condoms, they probably are going to be more likely to have sex.

Truth about consequences

"But if there are a whole set of other reasons for abstaining from sex, then those will help guide your teen-ager's behavior. That's why it's very important to talk about the range of issues - the social consequences, the moral consequences, the emotional consequences -in addition to the physical consequences of disease and pregnancy," he says.

Jaccard, for one, plans to use his advice in talking with his own daughter.

"When she was born, I had just begun the work on how parents can influence the decision-making skills of their adolescents in the area of alcohol. And I remember thinking that I would be ready by the time she was teen-ager," Jaccard says. "She has just turned 12 and I may be ready."

- Mary Fiess

Fiess is director of communications at SUNY Albany. Reprinted by permission.

Editor's note:

In the wake of escalating violence at schools around the country, union members have asked how to get parents more involved. As you urge parents to take a proactive approach with their children, you may want to cite this research of United University Professions member James Jaccard.

Union offers programs, publications to help parents

New York State United Teachers believes strongly in the power of parents.

That's why the union's Education and Learning Trust is launching two new programs to help parents meet the challenges of raising children today. Programs range from two-hour workshops to a more comprehensive seven-session course called Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, or STEP.

Workshops in the Partners for Learning series include: "Study Skills Strategies for Parents;" "Cooperative Discipline for Parents" and "Creating a Climate for Reading."

For information on courses and workshops on improving communication and involvement with parents involved in the classroom, contact NYSUT's Effective Teaching Program at (800) 528-6208. A schedule is posted on NYSUT's Web site, www.nysut.org.

NYSUT also offers a parent guide, "Home Team Learning Activities" with 60 tips for at-home learning. The "Parents as Reading Partners" program includes brochures, bookmarks and certificates to encourage parents to read to their children. Contact Julie Malec at (800) 342-9810 or write NYSUT Publications, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, New York, 12110-2455 .

A number of teacher centers in the statewide network offer courses for parents. Check with your local or regional teacher center for details. Web links are available through www.nysut.org.

The union's national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, offers a section for parents on its Web site, featuring articles on hot topics like part-time jobs for teen-agers and tips on how parents can help children with homework. Take a look at www.aft.org/parentpage.

The AFT also offers a series of "Helping Your Child" booklets and other materials for parents. Check with your local president or check the AFT's Web site. You may request a catalog by writing AFT Order Department, 555 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

Other resources include the National PTA Web site, at www.pta.org/programs.