Effectiveness of Drug Abuse Prevention Program Focusing on Social Influences among High School Students: 15-Month Follow-Up Study

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a drug abuse prevention program focusing on social influences for drug education classes in high school. Methods: The social influence program in the experimental group used role-playing led by a pharmacist, a police officer and a teacher. The intervention evaluation used a quasi-experimental design. The subjects were first-year students from 10 high schools assigned to the experimental group (6 schools, 828 students) and the control group (4 schools, 408 students). In the control group, a pharmacist used a conventional information program in a lecture format. Results: Regarding knowledge about drug abuse, in both the experimental and control groups, and for both males and females, a long-term effect was observed immediately after the program and lasted up to 15 months. For three other measures, attitudes toward drug abuse problem, self-efficacy regarding drug abuse prevention, and perception of social support for preventing drug abuse, a short-term effect was generally observed in the experimental group beginning immediately after the program and lasting for 3 months. A long-term effect was evident in high-risk students with positive opinions regarding drugs. In the control group and for both males and females, although an effect was generally evident immediately after the program, neither a short- nor a long-term effect was observed in males, suggesting the difficulty in achieving lasting effects. Conclusions: The social influence program in the experimental group showed remarkable effectiveness. Thus, the program may be useful for preventing drug abuse among high school students in Japan.