NCJ Number
166415
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 121 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 159-168
Date Published
1996
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper evaluates findings of a New Hampshire study of adolescent substance abuse prevention.
Abstract
A three-year follow-up study of alcohol prevention among 4,406 children in New Hampshire showed that neither a comprehensive school curriculum nor a community intervention was successful in preventing adolescent drinking. This paper examines predictor variables for drinking and notes the importance of tolerance and encouragement of drinking by adult role models. The children studied were in elementary school, junior high school or in the 10th grade in 1987 and were representative of rural children in New Hampshire. The study used the following three definitions of drinking behavior: (1) Initiation - subject has never tried beer, wine or liquor, excluding religious observances, but including secular family occasions; (2) Drinking - subject has had beer, wine or liquor excluding religious observances, but including secular family occasions twice or more in the 30 calendar days preceding questionnaire completion; and (3) Drunkenness - subject has had five or more drinks in a row or passed out or vomited more than once after drinking. The two main analyses were by school and by individual, controlling for community, age, gender, and psychosocial characteristics. Tables, references