Making anti-drug campaigns more effective

An anti-drug ad that educates one group of parents about fighting teenage drug use might not be as effective with a different group of parents, according to one researcher’s findings at the University of Missouri-Columbia. And now, he has some ideas on how to improve the overall effectiveness of anti-drug ads that target parents.

Michael T. Stephenson, assistant professor of Communication, surveyed 156 parents of children in seventh, ninth and 11th grades in the Columbia Public School District. From their responses to a survey, he classified parents into one of three parenting styles:

Authoritative: parents who are very demanding, yet very warm toward their children.
Authoritarian: parents who are very demanding but not very warm to their children.
Permissive: parents who are neither demanding nor warm toward their children.

Stephenson found that authoritative parents do not think their children are at risk for substance use. Authoritarian parents do perceive that their children are at risk but are ill informed as to what they can do to prevent their children from using drugs. Permissive parents do not know their children are at risk and are aloof about the subject.

Using each of these parenting styles and their characteristics, Stephenson developed strategies to focus on each type of parent in order to help them protect their children against substance use. Based on his findings, Stephenson suggests that:

• Anti-drug ads that target authoritative parents should reinforce the concept that all children are susceptible to the pressures of using illicit substances.
• Anti-drug ads that target authoritarian parents must educate them about bonding behaviors between parents and children and encourage parents to engage in these behaviors to decrease the chances of substance use.
• Anti-drug ads that target permissive parents must present information about the merits of setting limits, consistent discipline and monitoring children.

Southern Communication Journal published the article "Anti-drug public service announcements targeting parents: An analysis and evaluation" in 2002.

2002

Additional links:

Department of Communication

Southern Communication Journal

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