A Selective Prevention Program for High School Seniors

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary purpose of this application is to test the feasibility and efficacy of innovative, selective drug abuse prevention strategies using positive career and personal development communications for diverse substance using young people who are transitioning from high school into careers and college. The long-term objective of this project is to reduce marijuana, cigarette, and alcohol abuse and problems among high-risk older adolescents transitioning into adulthood who are often ignored in prevention research and services. The first phase of this project will involve formative research, including focus groups, instrument validation surveys, expert panels, and a pre-pilot study. This phase of research is aimed at enhancing the utility, validity and appeal of the modified and expanded outcome instrument, tailored adolescent strategies, and parent communication prompts integrating marijuana and cigarette smoking messages, along with existing alcoholic beverage specific consumption messages, into a positive-message career and personal development program. The second phase will involve two studies. The first is a pilot study testing the feasibility of the modified and expanded preventive intervention, titled the Healthy Transitions Project (HTP). The HTP intervention will consist of: 1) a Healthy Transitions Screen (HTS); 2) a tailored one-on-one Career Consultation with messages linking successful career and life decisions with avoiding drug and alcohol use; 3) a set of Personal Development Newsletters providing tips and resources needed in making important decisions regarding career, college, and personal success, with drug use avoidance messages embedded throughout; and 4) a series of Parent Communication Postcards prompting parent-adolescent communication regarding successful career choices, including maintaining healthy behaviors and avoiding high-risk health habits. The second study is a longitudinal randomized trial examining the short, medium and long-term efficacy of the HTP intervention among substance using high school seniors from diverse school settings (inner city, rural and suburban) who are transitioning into work or college, compared against a standard generic career awareness and prevention education control. This study will also examine whether the effects of the preventive intervention on marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol use were mediated by various alcoholic beverage specific consumption patterns and drug use risk/protective factors.