ABSTRACT
The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine the effect of an original prevention program (RAPP) on the behavioral and cognitive characteristics of adolescents with high risk for substance consumption. Seventy-six Mexican adolescents 12-15 years old (38 with high risk (HR) and 38 with low risk (LR)) were selected. RAPP was applied for 3 months. Resilience, social skills, attitudes towards substance use, ability to delay a reward, and inhibitory control were assessed in these adolescents, before and after the RAPP intervention. Both groups improved their scores; however, HR achieved greater changes than LR. Findings suggest that HR have behavioral characteristics that can be considered as risk factors for substance consumption (low levels of resilience, low social skills, little family support, positive attitudes towards substance use). RAPP proved to be an effective program for preventing these risk factors for substance use in adolescents.
Subject(s)
Substance-Related Disorders , Adolescent , Behavior Therapy , Child , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Risk Factors , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Substance-Related Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
A unique Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) prevention program called PALS (Prevention through Alternative Learning Styles) was implemented with middle school students with the goal of enhancing student knowledge of the harmful effects of ATOD, promoting the use of refusal skills and reducing intentions to use ATOD in the future. Intentions to use were measured at four points: pre-PALS, post-PALS, and at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups. Student survey responses were then matched and compared across the four time periods. This article reports on the long-term effectiveness of PALS on student intentions to use ATOD in high school. When follow-up surveys of PALS students were compared to students not exposed to PALS (comparison group), the PALS students had significantly lower intentions to use alcohol and tobacco, providing evidence that the PALS intervention did have a long-term impact on intentions to use these substances.
Subject(s)
Health Promotion , Intention , Students/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Adolescent , Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Child , Child Behavior/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
This article reports on the evaluation of a two-year alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) intervention, the Prevention through Alternative Learning Styles (PALS) program, targeting both teachers and middle-school students. Teachers are taught to recognize students' unique learning styles in the context of the ATOD curriculum and adapt the ATOD messages to these learning styles. The student curriculum consists of 5 topic areas with two lessons per topic area. Student goals include enhancing students' knowledge of the effects of ATOD, promoting students' use of refusal skills and decreasing students' intentions to use ATOD. The program was implemented in school dis-tricts in the greater Dayton Ohio area. Support was found for the intervention's overall effectiveness in both years, with statistically significant improvements demonstrated by the students who participated in the PALS program. Students had an increase in their knowledge of ATOD topic areas and a decrease in their intentions to use ATOD.
