NCJ Number
164147
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 31 Issue: 10 Dated: (1996) Pages: 1359-1377
Date Published
1996
Length
19 pages
Annotation
A pilot test of a new program, All Stars, which aims to prevent juvenile drug use as well as other risk-taking behaviors, was completed and evaluated in terms of its effectiveness compared to the seventh-grade Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in a North Carolina middle school.
Abstract
The All Stars program involves highly interactive classroom, small-group, and individual sessions designed to develop a perceived incongruence between desired lifestyles and high-risk behavior, change student perceptions about norms to be more conventional, build students¦ motivation and ability to make and keep commitments regarding high-risk behavior, and build a sense of belonging within the class and the school. The program targets common forms of drug abuse (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, and cocaine), violence, and premature sexual activity, which are known to be highly interrelated behavior. The study involved the entire seventh grade. All students had received DARE in the fifth grade. Four classes took part in the seventh-grade DARE booster program; the others took part in All Stars. Results revealed that the All Stars students had significantly better outcomes than the DARE students on each of four factors known from prior research to mediate high-risk behaviors: (1) personal commitment to avoid participating in high-risk behaviors, (2) ideals incongruent with high-risk behaviors, (3) bonding with prosocial institutions, and (4) conventional beliefs about social norms regarding high-risk behaviors. All Stars students also gave superior ratings to the program and their involvement in it. Tables, figures, and 23 references