Dynamic Models of Adolescent Drug Use Prevention

描述：(申请人提供) 这项为期两年的调查旨在加深我们对 影响青少年饮酒的确切病因和发育过程 和其他药物的使用。拟议的研究大大扩展了一项计划 确定生活技能训练(LST)有效性的前瞻性研究 以学校为本，提高能力，预防药物滥用的计划旨在 中学人口。二次分析将使用以下数据进行 三项以学校为基础的随机预防试验，包括一项关于 主要是白人中产阶级青年(N=5800)，其中主要是 西班牙裔青年(N=3500)，三分之一主要由市中心的黑人青年组成 (n=5900)。已经从每个样本中获得了关于 LST对减少吸烟、酒精和大麻使用的干预 在任何地方进行三至六年或更长时间的跟踪评估 在实施之后。关键的下一步是进行操纵 检查以确定药物使用的减少是否在 假设的方式以及多组分干预策略是否 对实现这一目标至关重要。这项研究将特别侧重于 确定三种理论驱动的预防措施的相对有效性 方法包括：社交技能/社交能力、个人技能和 自我管理和规范教育(包括改变 对毒品使用和信息社会可接受性的认识 关于吸毒的有害影响)。主要的分析重点包括 使用结构方程模型来测试中介以及 分层线性建模以控制潜在的集群效应， 从学校的随机化到实验条件。一个重要的 这项研究的特点是使用共享公共的多个数据集 评估主要心理社会风险机制涉及的病因学 青少年吸毒和测试替代风险机制的能力 可能专门在少数民族人口中运作。这项研究具有 有效干预为预防科学提供信息的潜力 在关键时期和关键时期延伸到广泛族裔群体的战略 青春期的形成期。

DESCRIPTION: (provided by the applicant) This two-year investigation is designed to increase our understanding of the precise etiologic and developmental processes that influence adolescent alcohol and other drug use. The proposed study significantly extends a program of prospective research to determine the efficacy of Life Skills Training (LST), a school-based, competence enhancement, drug abuse prevention program targeted to middle school populations. Secondary analyses will be conducted using data from three randomized, school-based, prevention trials including a study of primarily white middle-class youth (N=5800), one containing predominantly Hispanic youth (N=3500) and a third comprised mainly of black inner-city youth (N=5900). Evidence has been obtained from each sample regarding the efficacy of the LST intervention in reducing cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use with follow-up assessments conducted anywhere from three to six or more years following implementation. An essential next step is to conduct manipulation checks to determine if the reductions in drug use are brought about in the manner hypothesized and whether a multi-component intervention strategy is essential to achieve this goal. The study will specifically focus on determining the relative efficacy of three theoretically driven prevention approaches including: social skills/social competence, personal skills and self-management, and normative education (including strategies to alter cognitions regarding the social acceptability of drug use and information regarding the harmful effects of drug use). A primary analytic focus includes the use of structural equation modeling to test mediation as well as hierarchical linear modeling to control for potential clustering effects that arise from randomization of schools to experimental conditions. An important feature of this research is the use of multiple datasets that share a common assessment of key psychosocial risk mechanisms involved in the etiology of adolescent drug use and the ability to test alternative risk mechanisms that may operate specifically in ethnic minority populations. This study has the potential of informing prevention science with regard efficacious intervention strategies that extend to a wide range of ethnic groups during the critical and formative years of adolescence.