NCJ Number
174427
Journal
Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 25 Issue: 5 Dated: September 1997 Pages: 397-419
Date Published
1997
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article describes and evaluates Project CARE, a substance abuse prevention program for three cohorts of at-risk 4th graders and their families implemented in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Project CARE worked intensively with students and their families to increase resiliency factors and to decrease risk factors through school, family, and extracurricular activities. Project objectives were to decrease substance use, negative behaviors, the intent to use substances, school suspensions, and absences and to increase alternative activities, family communication, academic grades, and consistency of family behavior control and rules. The research design used to evaluate Project CARE was based on program and control groups, and evaluation results revealed a few positive effects. At posttest, more control students' grades needed improvement and more program students participated in community activities. Several variables showed differential change over time that favored the program group. Compared to control students, program students increased participation in alternative activities from pretest to posttest and did not increase their school suspensions as much. After 1 year, control students were more willing to use substances than program students. Program students with low participation generally had the worst outcomes, often worse than control students. Overall, Project CARE did not have as big of an impact on students and their families as hoped. Additional research is suggested to examine the differential effectiveness of Project Care, especially racial and program participation differences. 62 references, 8 tables, and 1 figure