Study defines clear roles for parents of teenagers

A new study by the Center for Health Communication at the Harvard School of Public Health cuts through the confusion that parents of teenagers experience because of conflicting advice. The study lidentified key messages about raising teenagers on which experts agree. The results focus on practical guidelines and strategies that can contribute to healthy adolescent development and prevent problems such as violence and mental illness. For example, one of the report’s Five Basics of Parenting Adolescents, “Monitor and Observe,” describes research showing a link between parents’ keeping an eye on teens’ whereabouts and the prevention of problems such as drug abuse and delinquency. Another guideline, “Guide and Limit,” supports a strategy of maintaining family rules but avoiding rigid restrictions, or “Loosen up, but don’t let go.”