by Elena Vidrascu, MSc

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JPHMP presents Preventing America’s Next Drug Epidemic: A Multidisciplinary Approach, a new series designed to introduce the many facets of substance abuse, and how integrating the work of multiple partners may be the best approach towards prevention and treatment.

In this two-part series, I examine the potential consequences and correlations of screen time, attention, and substance abuse. Last time, I looked at whether we may be inadvertently increasing our children’s risk to drug and alcohol addiction later in life, specifically with how excessive screen time impacts the developing minds of youngsters growing up in the digital age (see Part I here). Today, I’m speaking with Dr. Melissa Cox, assistant professor at East Carolina University, to discuss media influences and risk of future substance use, and how parents can intervene. Melissa Cox podcast

Please take a look at the resources listed under “Further Reading” below for one of these parent tools, called TECH. Melissa Cox podcast

Melissa Cox is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University. Her research examines how the social and physical environment exerts risk and protective influences on youth alcohol use. She received her BA from Boston College, MPH from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and PhD in Health Behavior from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill.

Listen to the audio below. When you’re finished, be sure to leave me a comment. What’s your take on this subject?

Resources:

The Recovery Village

For Further Reading:

• TECH Parenting to Promote Effective Media Management
• Parental Restrictions of Movie Viewing Prospectively Predicts Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Initiation
• The Role of Sensation Seeking and R-rated Movie Watching in Early Substance Use Initiation
• Gender Differences in the Associations Between Age Trends of Social Media Interaction and Well-Being Among 10-15 Year Olds in the UK
• The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention

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Elena Vidrascu recently graduated from Wake Forest University with her MSc in Physiology and Pharmacology. Her primary field of interest is substance abuse, with goals to disseminate information to the public, including addicts and those in recovery, and to influence policy change to push for more integrative approaches towards prevention and treatment. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, doing puzzles, and cuddling with her kitten Maple.

Read all columns in this series:

• Screen Time and Content Might Increase Youth’s Risk to Future Substance Abuse, Part I
• The Opioid Epidemic: Where Do the Numbers Stand and Where Can We Focus Our Efforts? A Video and Interview
• Could a Dose a Day of Meaningful Social Interactions Help Keep Drug Addiction Away?
• Mike Connors on Treating Youth & Young Adults Struggling with Substance Abuse and Addiction