Do School-Based Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Programs Work in American Indian Communities? (From Health Promotion and Substance Abuse Prevention Among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: Issues in Cultural Competence, P 203-214, 2001, Joseph E. Trimble, Ph.D., and Fred Beauvais, Ph.D

• NCJ Number: 189799
• Author(s): Fred Beauvais Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA03371; DA07074
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Sale Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admin (SAMHSA)
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the efficacy of school-based drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs in American Indian communities.

Abstract

School-based drug abuse prevention programs have been a standard approach in American Indian communities over the past 3 decades. However, there is very little evidence that these programs have been effective. In addition, on theoretical grounds, schools are not in the strongest position to counter drug use among adolescents. Compared with non-Indian families, American Indian families have a more powerful influence in the lives of their children. Therefore, for anti-drug abuse programs to be effective, they must enlist the help and support of American Indian families. Any effort that does not include the family will be overlooking the major asset of American Indian communities and likely will not succeed. However, the article concludes, school-based efforts should not be eliminated. They come from one of the major socialization forces in the lives of American Indian children and these initiatives may be having some as-yet unmeasured effect. References