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增加我们对 影响青少年酒精的确切病因学和发展过程 和其他药物使用。这项研究大大扩展了一项计划， 前瞻性研究，以确定生活技能培训（LST）的有效性， 以学校为基础，提高能力，预防药物滥用方案， 中学人口。次要分析将使用来自 三项随机、以学校为基础的预防试验，包括一项关于 主要是白色中产阶级青年（N=5800），1例主要含有 西班牙裔青年（N=3500）和三分之一主要由黑人内城青年组成 （N=5900）。从每个样本中获得了关于以下有效性的证据： LST干预减少香烟，酒精和大麻使用， 在三年至六年或更长时间内进行的任何地方的后续评估 执行后。下一步必不可少的是进行操纵 检查，以确定是否减少药物使用带来的， 假设的方式以及多成分干预策略是否 实现这一目标至关重要。该研究将特别侧重于 确定三种理论驱动的预防措施的相对功效 方法包括：社会技能/社会能力，个人技能和 自我管理和规范教育（包括改变 对吸毒的社会可接受性的认识 关于毒品使用的有害影响）。主要分析重点包括 使用结构方程模型来测试调解以及 分层线性建模，以控制潜在的聚类效应， 这是由学校随机化到实验条件而产生的。一个重要 这项研究的特点是使用多个数据集，这些数据集共享一个共同的 评估与糖尿病病因学有关的主要心理社会风险机制 青少年吸毒和测试替代风险机制的能力， 可能专门针对少数民族人群。这项研究有 为预防科学提供关于有效干预的信息的潜力 在关键时期， 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.