Under the Influence

Jeannette Leech

Associate

research in practice

Councillor's and Trustees Seminar

About Under The Influence?

•part of the research in practice Change Project programme•Literature review•Group meetings

•a collaboration with the Cheshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team

•looking at the links between offending behaviour and alcohol use in young people

•aimed to produce an evidence-informed practical tool to equip professionals with confidence and knowledge to work with this group of young people more effectively

•Link to two key ECM outcomes - Make a Positive Contribution (reduce offending) and Be Healthy (reduce alcohol use)

Patterns of drinking

Normalisation and acceptance of alcohol use by young people 75% of 11 to 15 year olds had tried alcohol 20% drank at least once a week

Amount of alcohol drunk increased considerably in the 1990s (11-15 year olds who drink)

1990 average weekly consumption 5.3 units 1998 average weekly consumption 10 units

More young people abstaining More heavy sessional (‘binge’) drinking

Commonly occurs in unsupervised locations

Motivations for drinking

External

Social facilitation

Considered the norm in a peer group Internal

To cope with problems

Boredom relief

To gain a buzz

Patterns of drinking

Normalisation and acceptance of alcohol use by young people 75% of 11 to 15 year olds had tried alcohol 20% drank at least once a week

Amount of alcohol drunk increased considerably in the 1990s (11-15 year olds who drink)

1990 average weekly consumption 5.3 units 1998 average weekly consumption 10 units

More young people abstaining More heavy sessional (‘binge’) drinking

Commonly occurs in unsupervised locations

Alcohol’s ‘continuum of influence’

Heavy sessional drinking better predictor of offending behaviour rather than average consumption

Alcohol can lower inhibitions Or provide an excuse for intended behaviour Rural settings found higher number of nuisance-related

incidents by young people who had been drinking Underage drinking tends to take place in unsupervised

locations The ‘pick n mix’ theory

Taking account of age: late childhood to early adolescence

Heavy drinking relatively rare Characterised by inexperience More likely to drink whatever is available and to do so

outside or unsupervised Parental influence More likely to cite internal motivation for drinking Offending very rare

But those who do offend at higher risk of becoming persistent offender

Taking account of age: middle adolescence

Key transitional period Those who drank at younger age may now start to

drink more Many other young people drink for the first time Peer group influences becoming more important External reasons most often cited Offending increases year on year in middle

adolescence Gender gap in offending becomes more pronounced

Taking account of age: late adolescence Easier to acquire alcohol Transition to drinking independently in bars and clubs Control over alcohol use increases Drug use more prevalent Drinking by those not in education or work may increase and

be spread out through the day May also turn antisocial behaviour into offending behaviour

Boys rather than girls more likely to report drinking as a coping mechanism

A quarter of all youth crime committed by 17 year olds Transition to adult services and prospect of adult prison

Alcohol use: Prevention

Aim to delay first drink

Aim to delay first incidence of drunkenness

Work with parents

Health messages ineffective as sole strategy

Peer group resistance messages also ineffective

Intervention: principles

Knowledge of the local context

Opportunistic and flexible

Structured and frequent

Timing: within three weeks of an offence A link in the mind of the young person

Intervention 1: Diversionary activities

Sports and leisure activities Increases self-esteem Perceptions of control and social skills

But must be run by specialist practitioner

Be aware of alcohol use in sport / leisure contexts

Intervention 2: Working with young people

Young people have barriers to drinking patterns

School Money Family

Young people use their own strategies to remain safe

Nominating non-drinking friend Eating a meal prior to drinking

Intervention 3: Long term and short term

Different targets for different stages Stopping or reducing drinking in the long

term Addressing peer group issues in the short

term

Intervention 4: Family-based interventions

Parenting skills combined with education for young people

Identifying risk and resilience factors Parenting contracts

Intervention 5: Harm minimisation

Research points to harm minimisation when alcohol use is well-established

Forthcoming guidelines on safe use

But at present professionals advised to check young

person’s competence before advising reduction

rather than abstinence

Intervention 6: Motivational interviewing

Centralising young person to process

Stresses own responsibility Acknowledging problems Locating them within wider context Supporting own conclusions

BUT limited effectiveness?

The Tools

1. The Developmental Wheel Used to give a baseline idea of a young person’s

developmental stage2. Using a Narrative Approach

Working with a young person’s story to understand the role of drinking within their lives

3. Risk and Resilience Factors Helping to target interventions more effectively

4. Practical Strategies Stressing a young person’s own responsibility to

control alcohol5. Investigating Drinking

Series of questions to investigate motives