RURAL YOUTH AND FAMILY COMPETENCIES BUILDING PROJECTS

描述（由申请人提供）：这项拟议的五年MERIT项目延期的目的是继续对最初在农村青年和家庭实施的普遍、多成分干预进行纵向、对照研究。拟议的计划是在成年后期跟踪我们的样本，这是一个对建立持久的物质使用模式和影响健康成人功能的物质相关问题至关重要的阶段。 MERIT项目的研究，到目前为止，已经解决了几个关键的方法学问题，典型的以社区为基础的预防干预研究的一部分，通过使用多方法，多信息测量程序。尽管研究的干预和测量需求，目标学校（N = 36）成功地从随机选择的一组学校招募，并随机分配到一个多成分的家庭和学校为基础的干预，以学校为基础的干预，单独和控制条件;所有学校都保留到12年级的数据收集点。观察为基础的评估证实高保真实施家庭和学校的干预组成部分。86%的前测样本在高中后的最后一波数据分析中仍然存在;高中后的样本中没有样本量的损失。这项研究还探讨了在对未得到充分研究的人口采取多方面的家庭和学校干预措施的长期影响方面知识基础的主要差距;在最初建议的所有具体研究目标方面都取得了实质性进展。值得注意的是，积极的长期物质开始的结果已被证明是通过早期出现的成年，与更强的影响，高风险的参与者和经验验证的介导的影响，通过减少物质使用的机会，沿着经济效益的证据的保护盾。总体初步进展的一个关键指标是完成了46份手稿，其中包括自1993年以来通过它所参与的更大的研究方案编制的150多份手稿。 拟议的研究将评估一个普遍的，多成分的中学干预对成年后期的参与者的长期影响;具体来说，对物质使用和相关的成人功能（犯罪和反社会行为，心理健康，身体健康，关系质量和性行为-目标1）的影响。此外，它将研究对新兴的成人物质使用和相关的成人功能的长期多组分干预作用的中介机制，复制和扩展早期研究（目标2）经验支持的模型。最后，该项目还将研究与青少年早期风险相关的长期干预效果的适度性，以及与上大学和其他生活过程变化相关的问题行为轨迹的改变（目标3）。 公共卫生相关性： 这项拟议的研究探讨了为一般人群设计的预防性干预措施如何对公共卫生产生重大影响。它扩展了早期的结果研究，这些研究已经证明了许多物质的实际显着相对减少率，包括处方药滥用（相对减少高达50%），高风险参与者中的更强影响，以及经济效益的证据（例如，每投资一美元，估计回报超过9美元）。进一步的潜在公共卫生和经济效益将通过研究干预措施的长期影响来评估最初在未充分研究的农村中学实施，当参与者在20多岁时。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposed five-year MERIT project extension is to continue a longitudinal, controlled study of a universal, multicomponent intervention initially implemented with rural youth and families. The proposed plan is to follow our sample during late emerging adulthood, a phase critically important to the establishment of enduring patterns of substance use and substance-related problems affecting healthy adult functioning. The MERIT project research to date has addressed several key methodological problems typical in community-based preventive intervention research-in part, through the use of multimethod, multi-informant measurement procedures. Intervention and measurement demands of the study notwithstanding, the targeted schools (N = 36) were successfully recruited from a randomly selected set of schools and randomly assigned to a multicomponent family- and school-based intervention, a school-based intervention alone, and control conditions; all schools were retained through the 12th grade data collection point. Observation-based assessment confirmed high fidelity implementation of both family and school intervention components. Eighty- six percent of the pretest sample remained through the last wave of data analyzed post high school; there has been no loss of sample size in the post high school sample. The study also has addressed major gaps in the knowledge base on long-term effects of multicomponent family and school-based interventions in understudied populations; substantial progress has been achieved on all of the specific research aims in the original proposal. Notably, positive long-term substance initiation outcomes have been demonstrated through early emerging adulthood, with stronger effects among higher-risk participants and empirical verification of mediated effects through a protective shield of reduced substance use opportunities, along with evidence of economic benefits. A key indicator of initial progress overall is the completion of 46 manuscripts, among a total of over 150 manuscripts produced since 1993 through the larger program of research of which it is a part. The proposed study will evaluate long-term effects of a universal, multicomponent middle school intervention on participants in the late emerging adulthood phase; specifically, effects on substance use and related adult functioning (criminal and antisocial behavior, mental health, physical health, relationship quality and sexual behavior-Aim 1). In addition, it will examine mediating mechanisms of long-term multicomponent intervention effects on emerging adult substance use and related adult functioning, replicating and extending models empirically supported by earlier research (Aim 2). Finally, the project also will examine moderation of long-term intervention effects associated with early adolescent risk and the alteration of problem behavior trajectories associated with attending college and other life course changes (Aim 3). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study examines how preventive interventions designed for general populations can have substantial public health impact. It extends earlier outcome research that already has demonstrated practically significant relative reduction rates for a number of substances, including prescription drug misuse (relative reduction up to 50%), stronger effects among higher-risk participants, and evidence of economic benefits (e.g., over $9 estimated return for every dollar invested). Further potential public health and economic benefits will be evaluated by studying long-term effects of interventions-originally implemented in understudied rural middle schools-among participants when they are in their late 20s.