Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND): Needs Assessment of a Social Service Referral Telephone Program for High Risk Youth

• NCJ Number: 225874
• Journal: Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 43 Issue: 14 Dated: 2008 Pages: 2066-2073
• Author(s): Steve Sussman; Silvana Skara; Patchareeya Pumpuang
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA13814; P50 DA16094
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study conducted a needs assessment of a potential social service resource telephone program component, the Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), among youth at high risk for drug use.

Abstract

Results identified youths’ strong interest and positive feedback regarding the provision of a potential social service resource telephone program (SSRTP) that was designed to offer information to individuals recently out of high school to help integrate them into emerging adulthood. The vast majority of respondents indicated a strong desire for resource and referral information on vocational, educational, recreational, transportation, and mental health and drug counseling services. This study is the first description, in the form of a needs assessment, of the perceptions and opinions of youth on the information and services that a telephone resource and referral center should provide. The findings are a major step forward in using the views of interested parties to provide a new service that may empower people who are at high risk for drug use. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of the provision of social service resource information on drug use among emerging adults. Data were collected during the period from August to September 2004 from a convenience sample of 102 subjects who received the TND classroom-based program approximately 1 year earlier. References