Tips For Coping With Peer Pressure Mental Health

Moreover, teen peer pressure can result in young people using alcohol and substances at early ages, making them more vulnerable to substance use disorder. Peer pressure can have either negative or positive impacts on teen mental health, depending what type it is. While peer pressure can come into play at almost any point in life, its influence might be strongest during adolescence. As teens are growing and experimenting with the concept of individuality, they may experience peer pressure to use alcohol or drugs, or engage in other risky behaviors. Managing teenage peer pressure can seem difficult, if not impossible.

Different Ways To Avoid Peer Pressure

Drug prevention programs that have had success have gone far beyond teaching young people to say no. They tend to teach the “whys” behind avoiding drugs, offer social skills to refuse drugs, and give opportunities to practice those skills over time. We can draw from these successful programs and from our own life experience, to empower teens to say “No” effectively. Consider these 8 tips as you prepare your teen to face peer pressure.

How Do Peers Affect You?

Thinking about it ahead of time helps you be ready to do what’s right. And when you do what’s right, you might set a good example for your peers. When they try to get you to act a certain which of the following is a type of indirect peer pressure? way, or try to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure. They can help each other develop new skills, or stimulate interest in books, music or extracurricular activities.

Drugs and alcohol

• However you’re feeling, there are people who can help you if you are struggling.
• This may help to explain why teens are so vulnerable to social pressure from their peers.
• That’s because, in attempting to fit in with peers, teens want to please.
• Identify friends who share the same values as you have and agree to stick together when out socially.

Below are some of the peer pressure examples which will help you in identifying the good and bad about how to tackle peer pressure in terms of its positive and negative side. Any situation where you feel pressurised to drink, or drink more than you intended, is peer pressure. We often think of peer pressure as being something that mainly affects younger people.

• Recognizing and understanding the signs of peer pressure is a fundamental aspect of effective parenting, as it allows you to provide the necessary support and guidance to your child.
• Sometimes the best strategy is just walking away and distancing yourself from potential trouble.
• Positive peer pressure has the potential to wield transformative influence.
• We hear much more about direct peer pressure, as it is easier to detect and recognize as problematic.
• It’s important to allow teens to make day-to-day decisions for themselves.
• As teens navigate peer culture, parents play an important role in preparing them with the social skills needed to make their own smart choices and avoid peer pressure.

As our teens watch us, they gain “practice” painlessly from our life experiences and modeling. Being pressured by peers can be a stressful experience, whether it happens in person or online. It may shake your sense of identity and self-confidence and may contribute to excessive worry. In addition, prolonged exposure to this type of stress and tension may be a factor in mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. Role modeling good emotional self-regulation may also help your child stick to their own values when it comes to peer pressure.

• When individuals, especially young ones, face pressure to conform to the behaviors, attitudes, and choices of their peers, it can have a significant impact on their development and well-being.
• We are at our best when we surround ourselves with people with similar values and interests.
• They want to be liked and they worry that they may be left out or made fun of if they don’t go along with the group.
• Peer pressure in younger children tends to be limited to copying bad behaviors such as acting out or taking things that don’t belong to them.

When teens make a choice that is right for them and stick with it, they learn to express their values. Remind your teens that they are their own people making their own choices. It is up to us as parents, to establish the boundaries that will keep them safe and to guide them towards healthy values they will choose to follow.

In addition, teens are hardwired to connect with peers and strive for belonging. As they mature and gain independence from family, gaining the approval of others in their age group becomes increasingly important. Hence, they may make unwise choices in order to feel accepted by their peer group.

Peer Pressure in Older Teens and Young Adults

If you’re looking to stop yourself being drawn into situations where you might drink more than you planned, it can be helpful to think about your drinking patterns and triggers. To keep health risks to a minimum, it’s always safest to stay below 14 units a week spread evenly throughout the week and include several drink-free days. Peer pressure is internal or external pressure felt to behave in certain ways, both good and bad.

Reinforce Values

They want to be liked and they worry that they may be left out or made fun of if they don’t go along with the group. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. Peer pressure transcends age groups and can begin before the first day of school at daycare, playgroup, and more.