Abstract
A family-based alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse prevention program was evaluated. The program targeted families with students entering middle or junior high school. The goals of the program were to increase resiliency and protective factors including family cohesion, communication skills, school attachment, peer attachment, and appropriate attitudes about alcohol and tobacco use by adolescents. The Families In Action program is a structured program which includes six 2 1/2 hour sessions, offered once a week for six consecutive weeks to parents and youth. The program was offered to all eligible families in eight rural school districts. Families who chose to participate began the program with lower scores on several protective factors as compared to nonparticipating families. Analysis of covariance controlling for initial differences found several positive effects of program participation at the one year follow-up. The results were strongest for boys. These findings suggest that providing parents and youth with similar communication skills can be an effective approach to substance abuse prevention.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abbey, A., Oliansky, D., Stilianos, K., Hohlstein, L. A., & Kaczynski, R. (1990). Substance abuse prevention for second graders. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 11, 149–162.
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their psychological well-being in adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 16, 427–454.
Botvin, G. B., Baker, E., Dusenbury, L., Botvin, E. M., & Diaz, T. (1995). Long-term follow-up results of a randomized drug abuse prevention trial in a white middle-class population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1106–1112.
Botvin, G. J., & Botvin, E. M. (1992). School-based and community-based prevention approaches. In J. H. Lowinson, P. Ruiz and R. B. Millman (Eds.), Substance abuse: A comprehensive textbook (pp. 910–927). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.
Cook, T. D. & Campbell, D. T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field settings. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Dielman, T. E., Shope, J. T., Leech, S. L., & Butchart, A. T. (1989). Differential effectiveness of an elementary school-based alcohol misuse prevention program. Journal of School Health, 59, 255–263.
Gottfredson, G. (1984). The effective school battery. Odessa, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources Incorporated.
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.
Hawkins, J. D. & Lam, T. (1987). Teacher practices, social development, and delinquency. Newbury Park, California: Sage.
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Jones, G. & Fine, D. (1987). Delinquency prevention through parent training: Results and issues from work in progress. In J. Q. Wilson and G. C. Loury (Eds.), From Children to Citizens, Volume III, Families, Schools, and Delinquency Prevention. New York: Springer-Verlag.
IOX Assessment Associates. (1988). Program evaluation handbook: Drug abuse education. Los Angeles: Author.
Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., & Bachman, J. G., (1993). National survey results on drug use from Monitoring the Future study, 1975–1992. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Kandel, D. B. (1980). Drug and drinking behavior among youth. Annual Review of Sociology, 6, 235–285.
MacKinnon, D. P., Johnson, C. A., Pentz, M. A., Dwyer, J. H., Hansen, W. B., Flay, B. R., & Wang, E. Y. I. (1991). Mediating mechanisms in a school-based drug prevention program. Health Psychology, 10, 164–172.
Moos, R. (1986). Family environment scale — Form R (2nd edition). Palo Alto, California: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Moskowitz, J. M., Schaps, E., Schaeffer, G. A., & Malvin, J. H. (1984). Evaluation of a substance abuse prevention program for junior high school students. The International Journal of the Addictions, 19, 419–430.
Needle, R. H., Lavee, Y., Su, S., Brown, P., & Doherty, W. (1988). Familial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal correlates of drug use: A longitudinal comparison of adolescents in treatment, drug-using adolescents not in treatment, and non-drug-using adolescents. The International Journal of the Addictions, 23, 1211–1240.
Newcomb, M. D., Maddahian, E., Skager, R. & Bentler, P. M. (1987). Substance abuse and psychosocial risk factors among teenagers: Associations with sex, age, ethnicity, and type of school. American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse, 13, 413–433.
Popkin, M. (1990). Active parenting of teens. Marietta, GA: Active Parenting Inc.
Rhodes, J. E., & Jason, L. A. (1990). A social stress model of substance abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 395–401.
Sebald, H. & Andrews, W. H. (1962). Family integration and related factors in a rural fringe population. Journal of Marriage and Family, 24, 347–351.
Simons, R. L., Conger, R. D., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1988). A multistage social learning model of the influences of family and peers upon adolescent substance abuse. Journal of Drug Issues, 18, 293–315.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1991). 1990 census of population & housing. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pilgrim, C., Abbey, A., Hendrickson, P. et al. Implementation and Impact of a Family-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Program in Rural Communities. The Journal of Primary Prevention 18, 341–361 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024659012360
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024659012360