ABSTRACT
The Residential Student Assistance Program, serving high-risk, multiproblem, inner-city, primarily African-American and Latino youth, was evaluated for its ability to prevent and decrease alcohol and other drug use. Participants were drawn from several adolescent residential facilities: three foster care sites for abused, neglected, orphaned, or troubled adolescents, a nonsecure facility for adjudicated juvenile offenders, a treatment center for teens with severe psychiatric problems, and a locked county correctional facility. In addition, comparison groups were employed. A 5th-year outcome evaluation documented the program's effectiveness in both preventing and reducing substance use among participants, with impact related to program dosage. Qualitative process data clarified and strengthened confidence in the quantitative outcomes.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/prevention & control , Black or African American/psychology , Hispanic or Latino/psychology , Residential Treatment , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Urban Population , Adolescent , Alcoholism/psychology , Cohort Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Foster Home Care/psychology , Humans , Male , New York , Prisoners/psychology , Substance-Related Disorders/rehabilitation , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Peer-led drug prevention programs for middle school youth are reviewed as to whether or not they are a vital resource in an overall effort to minimize the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). The paper focuses on the following: a) results of a 120-study meta-analysis of school-based drug prevention programs and positive program features; b) considerations for falsely concluding that peer programs are ineffective; c) features of two model or stellar programs that compared interactive (peer leadership) to teacher/researcher-led (non-interactive) programs that followed National Peer Helpers Association (NPHA) Programmatic Standards; and d) suggestions for designing and implementing high-quality, peer-led programs. The authors conclude that interactive peer interventions for middle school students are statistically superior to non-interactive didactic, lecture programs led by teachers/researchers. Programs implemented according to NPHA Programmatic Standards may eliminate Type II (false negative) and III ("implementation failure" or ineffectively designed and implemented program) errors. Opportunities for prudent application of well-designed peer programs appropriately implemented and evaluated must remain a salient priority.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Health Services/organization & administration , Health Education/organization & administration , Peer Group , School Health Services/organization & administration , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Adolescent , Bias , Faculty , Humans , Leadership , North America , Program Development , Program Evaluation , Research DesignABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is the most widely used school-based drug use prevention program in the United States, but the findings of rigorous evaluations of its effectiveness have not been considered collectively. METHODS: We used meta-analytic techniques to review eight methodologically rigorous DARE evaluations. Weighted effect size means for several short-term outcomes also were compared with means reported for other drug use prevention programs. RESULTS: The DARE effect size for drug use behavior ranged from .00 to .11 across the eight studies; the weighted mean for drug use across studies was .06. For all outcomes considered, the DARE effect size means were substantially smaller than those of programs emphasizing social and general competencies and using interactive teaching strategies. CONCLUSIONS: DARE's short-term effectiveness for reducing or preventing drug use behavior is small and is less than for interactive prevention programs.
Subject(s)
Health Education/methods , Substance-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Adolescent , Child , Curriculum , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Program Evaluation , Self Concept , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , United StatesABSTRACT
This paper reports findings of a subset of 91 programs, which included drug use measures, from the data base previously reported in the author's meta-analysis of 143 adolescent drug prevention programs. Treatment components of strategies successful in decreasing drug use by adolescents are discussed with regard to both the developmental stages of adolescents and the current etiology of drug abuse. Meta-analysis is briefly discussed. The focus is on issues rather than the actual research. Questions for future programming address theoretical assumptions and practical issues. Is attitude change a prerequisite for decreased drug use? This meta-analysis questions the validity of using knowledge and attitude measures as the only outcome measures. Successful program strategies require innovative planning and close attention to implementation factors. Answers to implementation questions require continued quality research. Implications for future planning may lie in the public policy arena.
