Adolescence is a time of growth and discovery where teenagers begin to test boundaries, seek novelty, and engage more deeply with the world around them. It’s also a period of heightened vulnerability and risk taking. This paradox is at the heart of research led by Assistant Professor of Psychology João Guassi Moreira, who studies the brain to understand why teens take risks and what factors influence substance use.
In the past, studies often treated substance use as a one-size-fits-all behavior, ignoring the mix of psychological, familial, and environmental influences. In contrast, Moreira’s team focused on three specific facets of vulnerability:
- Intent: the motivation and desire to use substances
- Access: environmental availability and exposure
- Family Developmental History: norms, modeling, and intergenerational patterns
By separating these three elements, they hoped to understand why some teens are more at risk than others.
To explore these questions, Moreira’s team looked at brain scans of over 11,000 adolescents of diverse backgrounds. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, Morerira’s team looked for brain patterns associated with each type of vulnerability. Their goal wasn’t just to predict risk, but to shift how we think about adolescence: not as a problem to manage, but as a powerful period of growth.
The results are striking: teens with easier access are more likely to use substances, showing how surroundings shape risk. Intent was harder to determine; it changes depending on the situation and isn’t clearly tied to brain patterns.
Even though today’s teens use substances at lower rates than previous generations, access remains common. This highlights the need for ongoing awareness and structural change, such as school, legal, and community efforts that work to limit exposure.
While the study doesn’t yet offer perfect tools for predicting who’s at risk, it lays the groundwork for future systems that could help parents, teachers, and researchers support teens more effectively.
Moreira hopes the study will spark action across different fields, encouraging the development of smarter policies, stronger support systems, and positive role models that help teens grow and succeed. “Adolescence should be a time of opportunity, but it’s contingent on scaffolding,” says Moreira, referring to the need for adults to intentionally shape environments that allow teens to thrive via their unique strengths. Understanding the three key risk factors for substance use among young people can help society design these supportive structures and interventions, ensuring adolescence truly serves as a foundation for growth.