Suchergebnisse

Since 1992, marijuana use among 8th graders has tripled, among 10th graders it has nearly doubled, and its use among high school seniors has increased by 50 percent. The use of other illicit drugs is also heavily on the rise. Yet, there exists very little research and literature on the etiology and prevention of drug abuse among those most at risk--disadvantaged, inner-city, minority youth. The Etiology and Prevention of Drug Abuse Among Minority Youth is an important first step in remedying this gap in the literature and for getting at the heart of the psychosocial factors that promote and su

Research concerning the etiology and prevention of substance misuse has led to the development of preventive interventions that are theory‐based and effective. One such approach, Life Skills Training (LST), targets key etiologic factors using a conceptual framework derived from social learning theory and problem behavior theory. LST has been extensively tested in a series of randomized trials and found effective in preventing the use/misuse of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other psychoactive drugs. Research demonstrates that it is effective when implemented under different delivery conditions, by different program providers, with different age groups, and with different populations. Follow‐up studies provide evidence of the long‐term effectiveness of LST. Independent economic analysis indicates that LST produces cost savings of as much as $38 for every dollar invested. Finally, LST offers the potential of reducing other health risk behaviors and fostering academic success.

This study examined associations between maternal social influences to smoke and girls' early smoking behaviors. Data were collected separately from 450 urban minority girls (65.7% Black, 21.5% Latina, and 12.8% other) and their mothers on smoking frequency as well as demographic and social factors hypothesized to promote smoking. Results showed perception of mothers' smoking to be associated with girls' early smoking behaviors, whereas mothers' report of their smoking status was not. Interactions were found between ethnicity and perception of mothers' smoking, with Black girls more influenced by their perceptions of mothers' smoking status and by mothers' expectations of adult smoking than Latinas. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for preventive efforts and recommendations for future studies with urban populations.

We explored changes in self-management skills and substance use from 7th to 11th grade in a multiwave study of predominantly minority adolescents ( N = 1,756). Using latent growth curve analysis, we found that substance use significantly increased, whereas self-management skills significantly decreased. In a parallel process model, we found that participants who reported higher self-management skills in the 7th grade had smaller increases in substance use. Participants who had larger decreases in self-management skills tended to have greater increases in substance use. We also explored the influence of grades and gender and found that (a) participants with higher grades at baseline had lower initial substance use, higher initial self-management skills, and smaller increases in substance use, and (b) male participants had greater increases in substance use. These results suggest that the provision of self-management skills may be an effective strategy for preventing substance-use initiation and escalation during adolescence.