NCJ Number
210447
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 40 Issue: 6 Dated: 2005 Pages: 761-777
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study reports on the outcome of an action research plan in Switzerland that addressed the problem of evaluating community-based federally funded juvenile delinquency prevention projects that varied among communities.
Abstract
The national project, entitled supra-f, was begun in 1999 to determine what works in secondary prevention for juveniles at risk of delinquency. The project was implemented through 12 intervention centers across Switzerland. The programs developed differed in their concepts, depending on the local sites' perceptions of need, the local resources available, and each community's approach to intervention. Although differing in their approaches, all of the programs were directed to focus on three main areas: school or vocational training, leisure activities, and mental and family health. In order to calculate intervention patterns for each participant and program for the 12 sites, the Action Plan was developed. It is a 21-item matrix instrument that codes all intervention for each adolescent participant. The program administrator at each site completed the Action Plan for each juvenile for each week of the juvenile's participation in a program. The data presented show patterns of interventions in a particular center and among centers. This article presents results from the ongoing study with approximately 600 juveniles. Effect sizes are presented on well-being, coping, self-esteem, delinquency, and substance use in relation to intervention packages, risk groups, and age, using data collected from 1999-2002. 9 tables, 2 figures, and 35 references