Alcohol Use and Psychosocial Outcome of Two Preventive Classroom Programs With Seventh and Tenth Graders

• NCJ Number: 118003
• Journal: Journal of Drug Education Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: (1988) Pages: 171-184
• Author(s): P E Baer; R J McLaughlin; M A Burnside; A D Pokorny
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Two preventive intervention programs on alcohol and other substance use were devised for classrooms of junior and senior high school students.

Abstract

One program focused on resistance to social influence, and the other on attitude change and decisionmaking. Youngsters undergoing these interventions were compared with controls who had no intervention on both alcohol usage measures and nonusage psychosocial indices at a pre-intervention baseline, at 1-year post-intervention for tenth graders, and at 2-year post-intervention for seventh graders. No difference in outcome between the two interventions was found for tenth graders, but 1-year post-intervention tenth graders who had either of the interventions used less alcohol than controls. Nonusage measures were not affected. Seventh graders showed no usage effects of interventions 2 years post intervention, but the nonusage measures suggested more pro-social behavior. Also among seventh graders, those with a high score on peer or parent alcohol use modeling responded better to the social resistance intervention, while those with a low score responded better to the attitudinal intervention. (Author abstract modified)