Few longitudinal studies exist that evaluate changes in predictors of drug abuse or prevention program effects over multiple risk periods or that systematically address risk factors, program effects, and program effect mediators in the same study. The specific objectives of this longitudinal etiology and prevention study are to evaluate: (1) long-term effects of an earlier community-based prevention program for adolescents on reducing drug abuse and related problem behaviors (drunk driving, social dysfunction, job and school drop-out, unprotected sex) and on increasing participation in prevention and health promotion activities in adulthood (healthy lifestyle choices); (2) changes in mediators of early drug use risk, particularly mediators targeted by the earlier community program; and (3) changes in the strength and pattern of personal, social, and environmental drug abuse predictors as individuals move through four potential risk periods (early adolescence, adolescence, onset and end of early adulthood). Two expanded panels of adolescents will be tracked through early adulthood, half of whom were previously assigned to a control group or a group that received a comprehensive community-based intervention that included school, parent, community organization, health policy change, and mass media program components, beginning in middle school. Three additional waves of survey and archival data on two panels of individuals from Kansas City and Indianapolis (75% white, 23% African-American, 2% Other; 51% female; 63.2% low SES; 23.5% inner city; N=2646) will be collected. Merged with up to nine previously collected waves of data, this proposed study will include subjects spanning the ages 12-29. Panels represent an overall 17% oversample compared to previous waves to enable stratified tests of drug use development and program effects by ethnicity. Based on 1993-94 data, 25.0% reside outside of the original study area, .4% have died, .7% are in prison, 2.5% needed treatment for drug abuse, and 4.4% were in trouble with police over a drug related problem. Hierarchical regression, growth curve, and structural equation analyses will be compared for their ability to predict drug abuse development and program effects with models that include personal, social, and environmental influences. The proposed study is important because it encompasses four potential periods of drug use risk (early adolescence, adolescence, onset of early adulthood, end of early adulthood--ages 12-29); includes multiple waves of data on two diverse populations; is large enough to enable test replication across sites and population sub-groups; incorporates and compares sophisticated analytical techniques to evaluate models of drug use and program effects; and represents the most long-term study of drug abuse prevention program effects in the U.S. Results should inform at least two important questions relevant to drug abuse prevention: whether a drug prevention program aimed at adolescents has the capacity to affect drug abuse, problem behaviors, and healthy lifestyle choices, and whether patterns of risk factors change over different periods, which would suggest that prevention efforts may require a different emphasis depending on age/stage of risk implemented.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA010366-02
Application #
2430067
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRCD (09))
Program Officer
Seitz, Larry
Project Start
1996-06-15
Project End
2001-05-30
Budget Start
1997-05-31
Budget End
1998-05-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Southern California
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
041544081
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90089
Pentz, Mary Ann; Hieftje, Kimberly D; Pendergrass, Tyra M et al. (2018) A videogame intervention for tobacco product use prevention in adolescents. Addict Behav :
Wagner, Karla Dawn; Unger, Jennifer B; Bluthenthal, Ricky N et al. (2010) Cognitive behavioral theories used to explain injection risk behavior among injection drug users: a review and suggestions for the integration of cognitive and environmental models. Health Educ Behav 37:504-32
Riggs, Nathaniel R; Chou, Chih-Ping; Pentz, Mary Ann (2009) Preventing growth in amphetamine use: long-term effects of the Midwestern Prevention Project (MPP) from early adolescence to early adulthood. Addiction 104:1691-9
Strachman, Amy; Impett, Emily A; Henson, James Matthew et al. (2009) Early adolescent alcohol use and sexual experience by emerging adulthood: a 10-year longitudinal investigation. J Adolesc Health 45:478-82
Riggs, Nathaniel R; Chou, Chih-Ping; Pentz, Mary Ann (2009) Protecting against intergenerational problem behavior: mediational effects of prevented marijuana use on second-generation parent-child relationships and child impulsivity. Drug Alcohol Depend 100:153-60
Riggs, Nathaniel R; Chou, Chih-Ping; Li, Chaoyang et al. (2007) Adolescent to emerging adulthood smoking trajectories: when do smoking trajectories diverge, and do they predict early adulthood nicotine dependence? Nicotine Tob Res 9:1147-54
Pentz, Mary Ann; Jasuja, Guneet Kaur; Rohrbach, Louise Ann et al. (2006) Translation in tobacco and drug abuse prevention research. Eval Health Prof 29:246-71
Crawford, Anne M; Pentz, Mary Ann; Chou, Chih-Ping et al. (2003) Parallel developmental trajectories of sensation seeking and regular substance use in adolescents. Psychol Addict Behav 17:179-92
Pentz, M A (1999) Effective prevention programs for tobacco use. Nicotine Tob Res 1 Suppl 2:S99-107