One of the largest studies of its kind sheds light on common struggles among teenagers

A major study of almost 4,000 Montreal teenagers is laying the groundwork for new programs, training platforms, and government policies, shedding light on the effects of substance misuse, mental illness, social media, screen time, and more.

Dr. Patricia Conrod, a Montreal psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction, launched the ambitious coVenture study in 2011. A cohort of more than 3,800 students, starting at age 12, were assessed every year of middle and high school via questionnaires on substance use, as well as on screen time and social media use, bullying, and mental wellbeing.

“The coVenture trial was primarily designed to test substance use outcomes, but it was secondarily designed to observe the onset of substance use, the onset of mental health issues, and their effects on the development of key cognitive functions over the course of adolescence,” explains Dr. Conrod.

Some findings drew public attention. “We were one of the first large studies to highlight the impact of social media on adolescent mental health, including increased anxiety and depression,” says Dr. Conrod. “It became one of the most widely covered health research studies this decade.”

Findings from Dr. Conrod’s work have been discussed in the US Congress, Canadian Parliament, Quebec’s National Assembly, and the UK Parliament, along with most major media outlets.

The study includes a health behaviour survey and a clinical trial. In addition to highlighting relationships between screentime, peer victimisation and cannabis use on youth mental health and cognitive development, the study was also able to demonstrate that early cognitive behavioural therapy-based interventions are effective at protecting against longer-term substance use disorders.

The coVenture study now has many offshoots: The preVenture program provides preventative interventions for teens at risk of substance misuse and mental illness; proVenture focuses on youth with emergent psychotic symptoms; wellVenture is tailored for children in the foster care system; coVenture 10 is a ten-year follow-up to the original coVenture; and the Canadian Underage Substance Use Prevention (CUSP) platform is “training the trainers” to better understand how to scale evidence-based prevention in Canada.

Preventing substance misuse is at the heart of all Venture programs. The programs offer interventions for young people showing four personality and thinking styles: impulsivity, sensation-seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety. “If you help young people manage these four traits, you can help prevent them from transitioning to significant mental health and substance misuse patterns,” says Dr. Conrod.

Many young people use alcohol and cannabis before the legal age, which negatively affects mental and cognitive health. “If you ask the question ‘can some people be an early onset drinker without any problems?’ I think my answer to you is that there are detectable problems associated with underage drinking and drug use that can be observed at the population level.” But the positive news? Teens want to grow up healthy and invest in their futures.

“The most important thing I learned from working with young people is how much they love stories of change,” says Dr. Conrod. “The best way to engage them is around stories of change and growth and development. It’s not just about preventing problems, its about building skills and setting goals.” This way of framing prevention messages makes young people eager to take part in the program, which had very high uptake among students.

At a glance

Issue

Substance misuse, particularly of alcohol and cannabis, is high among teenagers and impairs cognitive development while increasing risk of mental illness. Young people will often bring these addictions with them into adulthood if untreated.

Research

A massive study involving almost 4,000 students has identified preventive interventions for youth at risk of substance misuse and mental illness. The original study has since expanded, providing important data on adolescent factors affecting adolescent brain health.