Recognition and Referral Skills for RAs - Alcohol-Drug Problems

描述（由申请人提供）：住宿助理（RAs）通常是学院或大学中第一个得知学生酗酒或滥用其他药物的工作人员。这个第二阶段的STTR申请寻求支持，以进一步开发和测试一个名为“RA资源(RAR) -酒精-药物问题”的网络项目。Phase 5, Inc.将开展这个理论驱动的研究项目，旨在加强RAs有效接触、转诊和跟踪可能有酒精或其他药物问题的住宿大学生的能力。RAR -酒精-药物问题培训计划将具有互动特点，强调以积极、尊重的方式将可能有酒精或其他药物问题的住院学生与适当的专业服务联系起来。第二阶段研究的目标是完成开发和评估两个版本的培训计划的有效性。其中一个版本将专门专注于培训RAs。第二个版本将包括额外的功能，以培训他们的直接主管，即宿舍主任（或RHDs），以监督ra的心理健康问题。这两个版本的RAR和一个对照条件将在随机现场试验中进行测试，涉及来自30个学院和大学校园的90名RA工作人员。本研究将检验以下假设：(1)与对照组相比，RA参与任何一个培训项目都会显著提高计划行为理论（TPB）的测量分数；(2)参加RAR-RHD酒精-药物问题培训项目的RAs在TPB指标上的得分显著高于只参加RAR（无RHD监督成分）的RAs；(3)与对照组相比，参加任何一项RAR培训计划的RA住院学生在RA支持和尊重RA领导方面的得分更高。拟议的研究提供了一种解决办法，以解决与在酒精和其他毒品问题上对急救人员培训不足有关的问题。这项研究意义重大，因为它试图通过更有效和及时地将有酒精或其他毒品问题的学生与治疗服务联系起来，加强和扩大校园护理网络。这种做法可能是向有需要的学生提供照顾的有效手段，并减少与酗酒和吸毒有关的校园问题，包括学术问题、破坏公物和暴力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Resident assistants (RAs) are often the first staff members at a college or university to learn that a student is engaged in alcohol or other drug abuse. This Phase II STTR application seeks support to further develop and test a web-based program called "RA Resources (RAR) - Alcohol-Drug Problems." Phase 5, Inc. will conduct this theory-driven research project designed to strengthen RAs' ability to effectively approach, refer, and follow-up with residential college students who may have alcohol or other drug problems. The RAR - Alcohol-Drug Problems training program will have interactive features that emphasize teaching positive, respectful ways to link resident students who may have an alcohol or other drug problem with appropriate professional services. The goal of Phase II research is to complete development and evaluate the effectiveness of two versions of the training program. One version will focus exclusively on training RAs. A second version will include additional features to train their immediate supervisors, i.e., residence hall directors (or RHDs), to supervise RAs on mental health issues. These two RAR versions and a control condition will be tested in a randomized field trial involving 90 RA staffs from 30 college and university campuses. The study will test the following hypotheses: (1) compared to controls, RA participation in either training program will significantly increase scores on measures derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB); (2) RAs in the RAR-RHD Alcohol-Drug Problems training program will have significantly greater scores on TPB measures compared to those in the RAR only (no RHD supervision component); (3) resident students with RAs in either of the RAR training program will have greater scores on measures of RA support and respect for RA leadership, compared to those residents with RAs in the control condition. The proposed research offers a solution to the problems associated with inadequate training of RAs on alcohol and other drug issues. The research is significant because it seeks to strengthen and extend campus networks of care by linking students with alcohol or other drug problems to treatment services in a more effective and timely manner. The approach may be an effective means of extending care to students in need as well as to reduce campus problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse, including academic problems, vandalism, and violence. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The development of an online alcohol-drug training program for college resident assistants (RAs) represents a significant commercial opportunity and one that could produce important societal benefits. We are not aware of any web-based application that provides training for RAs to recognize and refer residence hall students who may have alcohol and other drug problems. Although alcohol and drug problems are prevalent in the undergraduate population, the current state of RA training on these issues is inconsistent across America's campuses and at many institutions is woefully inadequate.