NCJ Number
197161
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 1-24
Date Published
2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article examines the comparative importance of 12 psychosocial variables most frequently targeted as mediators of drug prevention programs.
Abstract
In a review of 45 prevention research studies, the following 12 psychosocial variables were identified: (1) normative beliefs about substance use prevalence and acceptability, (2) values (lifestyle incongruence), (3) beliefs about consequences, (4) commitment to not using substances, (5) social pressure resistance skills, (6) stress management, (7) self-esteem, (8) activities and alternatives, (9) decision making skills, (10) goal setting skills, (11) social skills (assertiveness, communication, and interpersonal problem solving skills), and (12) assistance skills (skills for assisting peers resolve conflict and problems). Participants were students in grades 6 through 11 enrolled in public schools in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Students completed questionnaires consisting of 102 items. The substance use scales were alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. The study offered a specification of the relationships among potential program mediators and their associations with alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Results showed that social skills and assistance skills were positively associated with drug use. Having better social skills and having better skills for getting assistance to solve problems were both associated with increased drug use. The remaining 10 variables were used to create a 5-factor model of psychosocial influences on substance use. The results show that the latent variable, Drug Attitudes, showed the most promise for prevention programming. This was the only latent variable to predict lower alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use prospectively, and it did in nearly all analyses. While attitudes have often been treated as a measured rather than as a latent variable, it was found that the four measured variables that contributed to this factor -- beliefs about consequences, commitment, lifestyle incongruence, and normative beliefs -- shared a common psychological basis. This study provides initial support for the continuity of relationships between the specific program mediators examined and current and future alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. 3 figures, 3 tables, 3 notes, 43 references