Adolescents exhibit a high rate of use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Effect studies rarely describe the actual content of the interventions in detail. Less is known about what was actually done in the prevention than about their effects. Only four studies that employed any form of targeting or profiling of the subjects prior to the delivery of the prevention intervention or initiative were identified. The skewness towards primary prevention skill-training approaches should be addressed, given the diverse consumption patterns among adolescents…

Author

Jakob Demant & Laura Marie Schierff

Citation

Five typologies of alcohol and drug prevention programmes. A qualitative review of the content of alcohol and drug prevention programmes targeting adolescents, Jakob Demant & Laura Marie Schierff, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy Vol. 0 , Iss. 0,0 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687637.2017.1347147


Source
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy
Release date
10/07/2017

Five typologies of alcohol and drug prevention programmes. A qualitative review of the content of alcohol and drug prevention programmes targeting adolescents

Review Article

Abstract

Adolescents exhibit a high rate of use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Effect studies rarely describe the actual content of the interventions in detail. Less is known about what was actually done in the prevention than about their effects.

Aim

This study is a review study, grouping the qualitatively different content components of the various approaches into five categories.

Methods

A systematic literature review from Western countries on the topic of school-based interventions and prevention initiatives targeting young people aged 12–20. A modified version of the narrative synthesis approach is used for analysis. The sample consisted of 33 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2010 and December 2014.

Findings

Five categories of intervention and prevention programmes were identified:

  1. ‘Information-based or testing-based primary prevention approaches’,
  2. ‘Primary prevention approaches incorporating skill-training components’,
  3. ‘Universal or primary prevention approaches that include family components’,
  4. ‘Targeted approaches incorporating skill-training components’, and
  5. ‘Approaches incorporating digital features’.

Conclusion

Only four studies that employed any form of targeting or profiling of the subjects prior to the delivery of the prevention intervention or initiative were identified. The skewness towards primary prevention skill-training approaches should be addressed, given the diverse consumption patterns among adolescents.


Source Website: Taylor & Francis Online