Quick Clips with Dr. Kilmer: 03. Believe It or Not, Parents– Rank High in Believability

In this series we talk with Dr. Jason Kilmer, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He specializes in the development, implementation, and evaluation of substance use prevention and intervention efforts on college campuses and among 18–25 year olds.   

While Dr. Kilmer focuses on college campuses, his insights are universal and particularly helpful for parents with teenagers of any age. Share these recordings with your parenting peers as you all navigate this exciting time in human development (ages 14–25) and work to help your kids navigate away from alcohol and other drugs.

This podcast is brought to you by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The views expressed here are not necessarily those of SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For questions or comments about this podcast, please contact WhatParentsAreSaying@gmail.com. 

Transcript

Quick Clips with Dr. Kilmer: 03. Believe It or Not, Parents– Rank High in Believability

[00:00:00] Debbie: Welcome to Quick Clips with Dr. Kilmer today. Parents, believe it or not, you rank high in believability. Hi, Dr. Kilmer. I think I've heard this is one of your favorite stats. Talk to us about parents and whether our kids believe us or not. 

[00:00:22] Dr. Kilmer: So the, you're right when, I mean, I think it's a little nerdy for me to say I have a favorite statistic, uh, but this is really, uh, an amazing statistic.

[00:00:31] And what's, what's a shame is that the data, the statistic itself is getting old. Or at least a little older than it used to be. But the National College Health Assessment, out of the American College Health Association, they do this every fall and every spring, hundreds of college campuses across the country.

[00:00:47] And for years, they included items about where students get their health information and how believable they see those sources. And they actually took it out of their survey, which is why the stat's getting a little older. And I even reached out to them and said, I love these findings. What led to taking them out and they said the fact that they were so stable for so long and the stats never really changed.

[00:01:09] The number one source students get their health information on the internet. And the problem is, is that that's like 10th place on believability. What to me is really, really, really impressive is that the second most cited source where students get their health information, parents, caregivers, and guardians, over three quarters, 75.5%.

[00:01:31] Of students say, I get my information about health from a parent, caregiver, or guardian. What's so striking is that unlike the internet, which was the number one source, but intense place on believability, parents are the fourth most believable source of health information behind only health center medical staff, health educators, and then faculty or coursework about health issues.

[00:01:55] So that's stunning. And so I hear too often, especially when we've had parent events at my own university, I've heard parents say, well, you know, they're, they're young adults now. Well, my vote really matter if I say, I, I prefer that you do this or I want you to know about this. The data show, it absolutely matters.

[00:02:13] And the data show you have a voice that lands in a really, really, really big way. So if you, as a parent, caregiver or guardian say, I would prefer you not drink, that's a, a message that can. Really be influential. If you say, I support your decision to drink, I would hope you never have more than X number of drinks.

[00:02:34] That's a message that will also land and your ability to even pass on information about health, uh, can matter as well and can make a big difference as well.

[00:02:49] Debbie: So I have kids, they're older. 

[00:02:51] Dr. Kilmer: Mm-hmm. 

[00:02:51] Debbie: They did go to college and. When they were in high school, they were pushing back in all kinds of ways. I became one of those parents that's like, well, I have no idea if I'm making any impact at all. Really. They were masters at telling me I didn't, when they got to college.

[00:03:16] My two older ones did end up calling me back within the first semester and going, Hey mom, remember how mean I was to you? Remember how horrible I was to you in high school? Wow. Maybe you're not so bad. And I was very grateful for that. 

[00:03:33] Dr. Kilmer: Oh 

[00:03:33] Debbie: yeah. I think they got into a bigger pool of people and they got some perspective and I wasn't always around.

[00:03:39] And it also seemed like. Brain development was continuing to happen and they were actually becoming more adults. And I guess my question is, or maybe it's a comment of just parents, hang on, you gotta believe, you've gotta just have faith that you're making some impact. It's so hard sometimes raising our kids and it can just be so painful.

[00:03:59] So the fact that. Just hearing that our kids believe us. I just makes me happy. 

[00:04:05] Dr. Kilmer: Shout out to your kids for that call because I think that there are a lot of people that never get that call, but you know, the kid thought it, wow, I'm really glad that I got that warning from mom. I'm really glad that mom said this.

[00:04:17] It sticks. It sticks. These, these messages stick the, the, we know that students can internalize that voice, that warning, that hope, that wish. When a parent's rooting for a kid, the kid knows that. And I think that's really, really important. You know, guidance about don't accept a drink if you don't know what's in it.

[00:04:35] When someone said, Hey, I bought this pill from some guy, he said, it's pure. Don't trust that it's pure. Don't take pills. You don't know what they are. Don't do this stuff that matters and it sticks. I wish that everyone had the chance to get that feedback. We know that the research shows it matters in a big, big, big way.

[00:04:50] And when students think, uh, a. My parents wouldn't care if I did this. Yeah, they're more likely to do something that could be higher risk. When a student says, I think that they would be concerned about this, they don't approve of this, there's less likelihood of engaging in the behavior. This is from Washington's Healthy Youth Survey.

[00:05:08] Hey kids, this is sophomores in high school. Do you think your parents think it's wrong for you to use marijuana? Are not wrong when high school sophomores in Washington state. In the context of legalization said, I think my parents think it's wrong for me to use 13%. Nevertheless, used marijuana in the last month when kids said, my parents wouldn't care.

[00:05:28] 59% used in the past month. That is a stunning, stunning finding. So even though that's not college students, it shows that perceptions by sophomores in high school, um, matter in a big, big way. 

[00:05:44] Debbie: Great. Go Parents. Go. Parents go Parents. Thank you Dr. Kilmer.