This research project is designed to evaluate a primary prevention effort to reduce rates of substance abuse among adolescents. This prevention model assumes that substance abuse is one particularly self destructive response by poorly coping adolescents to difficult developmental and situational stressors. This intervention project aims to decrease the frequency of maladaptive responses by strengthening three specific stress mediating factors --decision making ability, understanding of group dynamics and role flexibility, and social network utilization. During the two years of the project, approximately 800 sixth grade students from 32 classes, their teachers and approximately 200 of their parents will participate in training programs which focus on decision-making, communication, group dynamics, and social network utilization. The research design will evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions by comparing data gathered from randomly assigned Program and Control Groups. The intermediary objectives -- enhancing specific abilities of students, teachers, and parents -- will be assessed by a number of variables including students' knowledge of and ability to use decision-making concepts (alternatives, risks, values, and consequences), ability to understand group process, identification of group roles, teachers' ability to facilitate student decision-making and social network utilization, and parents' ability to facilitate decision-making and role flexibility in the family. The primary objective --decreasing rates of adolescent substance abuse -- will be assessed by a brief, annually administered Student Drug Use Survey.
