RURAL YOUTH AND FAMILY COMPETENCIES BUILDING PROJECTS

描述（由申请人提供）：这项拟议的为期五年的MERIT项目扩展的目的是继续对最初在农村青年和家庭中实施的普遍、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，这一阶段对于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。迄今为止，MERIT项目研究已经解决了社区预防干预研究中典型的几个关键方法问题——部分是通过使用多方法、多信息来源的测量程序。尽管有研究的干预和测量要求，我们还是成功地从随机选择的一组学校中招募了目标学校（N = 36），并随机分配到多组分家庭和学校干预、单独学校干预和控制条件中；所有学校保留到12年级的数据收集点。基于观察的评估证实了家庭和学校干预成分的高保真度实施。86%的前测样本在高中毕业后的最后一波数据分析中保持不变；在高中毕业后的样本中没有样本量的损失。该研究还解决了关于多成分家庭和学校干预措施对未充分研究人群的长期影响的知识库中的主要差距；在原提案的所有具体研究目标上都取得了实质性进展。值得注意的是，积极的长期物质起始结果已经在早期的成年期得到证明，在高风险参与者中有更强的影响，并且通过减少物质使用机会的保护性屏障对中介效应进行了实证验证，同时也有经济效益的证据。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年以来通过更大的研究方案编写的150多份手稿，它是其中的一部分。本研究将评估一项普遍的、多成分的中学干预对成年后期参与者的长期影响；具体而言，对药物使用和相关成人功能（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，它将研究长期多组分干预对新兴成人物质使用和相关成人功能的中介机制，复制和扩展早期研究支持的经验模型（目标2）。最后，该项目还将研究与早期青少年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命历程变化相关的问题行为轨迹的改变（目标3）。

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.