by Shepherd Smith
by Shepherd Smith
For a counselor, it is important to deal with not only the symptoms but also the underlying causes of any serious problem. Although it may be the pregnancy that brings the client to your crisis pregnancy center, there are many more aspects to her case.
A woman may have intercourse and end up with an unwanted pregnancy for one or several of a variety of reasons. Among these are inattention to birth control measures, a poor self-image that makes it difficult for her to stand up for herself, sexual abuse, a desire for love
At The Institute for Youth Development, our expertise is understanding the interconnections of risk behaviors. When working with young people, we focus on alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, and violence. We have found that the young person who is involved in one of these behaviors is usually involved in others. We feel it is important for all counselors to have a good understanding of the interconnection of behaviors, what protects kids from participation in these behaviors, and what puts them at risk.
There are some common threads that run through all major risk behaviors. First, the earlier the behaviors begin, the greater the long-term negative health consequences. Second, the more extensive the participation, the greater the risk.
Young people want to imitate adults and often have a hard time waiting to engage in certain adult behaviors. While drug abuse and criminal violence are never legal activities, drinking alcohol, using tobacco, and having sex, depending on one's age and the setting, can be legal. Young people must learn when, where, and which adult behaviors are appropriate and be motivated to function within those boundaries.
Identifying what factors protect young people from harm is a key step toward minimizing risks. The greatest protective factor for a child's health is parent-child connectedness. The closer a young person feels to his parents, the less likely he is to participate in risk behaviors. His feeling of closeness to his school is also highly protective.
The National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health surveyed 90,000 middle and high school students. Study researchers interviewed 20,000 students and 18,000 of their parents. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in September, 1997, this study is the largest ever conducted in the United States specific to youth behavior and what protects them from and puts them at risk for various behaviors. Besides parent-child connectedness, the study found other important protective factors for young people.
Parental disapproval of sex outside of marriage greatly influenced the young person to avoid sexual activity. Parental disapproval of contraceptive use was protective as well. Perhaps the most statistically protective factor was a pledge of virginity made by the adolescent.
Other factors that protected a young person from an early sexual debut included: religiousness, getting good grades, and looking younger than one's peers. Risk factors include looking older than one's peers, same- sex attraction or behavior, and working more than twenty hours a week.
In respect to related risk behaviors, the study identified similar protective and risk factors in many other categories. Therefore, when counseling a young person, it is important for the counselor to get a complete picture of the adolescent's relationships, environment, thoughts, and perspectives. What is the quality of his relationship with his parents, his connection with his school, his church, and his friends? How does he view drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or using other substances? Has he been abused or is he abusive? Does he suffer emotional distress or have thoughts of suicide?
If a counselor looks only at a young person's predisposition to early sexual activity, he may miss the fact that the counselee also drinks heavily. Drinking will often lead to impaired judgment and the abuse of other substances, which in turn will impair judgment even further. Consequently, it is essential to determine whether other behaviors are influencing participation in sexual activity. Simply directing that these behaviors be discontinued seldom is enough. It is not only important to reduce risk factors, but also to build a protective mechanism for the young person as well.
This may begin by broadening the counseling circle to include parents or school counselors. It may also involve a candid discussion of how one can achieve success in life and how that success may be predicated on hard work and high school performance. Setting goals and objectives is critically important for the young person.
The level of personal importance placed on religion and prayer was a major factor that protected adolescents from risk behaviors. In essence, religious faith has been demonstrated by scientific study to be a powerful, positive influence. It is difficult for someone to abuse another when he knows from his religious instruction that he is supposed to love that person. It is difficult for him to abuse himself when he realizes that God loves him. God's love gives men worth. These are simple, yet powerful truths.
Our lesson is that the whole person is made up of many parts. We should no longer look solely at any individual condition or behavior but at all the aspects of the whole person when assessing how to minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors. We cannot afford to overlook some aspects of life while tending to others. Because all aspects interconnect, all must be addressed.
Remember that as you counsel your client. Delve deeper. Get the whole picture. Grasp your client's perspective. Help her on all fronts.
Shepherd Smith is president and founder of the Institute for Youth Development (IYD), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes a consistent comprehensive risk-avoidance message to youth for five harmful risk behaviors that are inextricably linked: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, and violence. His editorials appear regularly in newspapers across the country. He is co-author of Christians in the Age of AIDS. Contact IYD at P.O. Box 16560, Washington, DC 20041; 703/471-8750; www.youthdevelopment.org
