SOC 204 Drugs & Society

Goldberg Chapter 16 Drug Prevention and Education

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How is your group doing?

A. Awesome. We are the best!

B. Okay.

C. Scrambling, but getting by.

D. Sinking fast.

Awesom

e. We are

the best!

Okay.

Scram

bling,

but getti

ng by.

Sinking fast.

25% 25%25%25%

Response

Approaches to Prevent Drug Abuse

What should be the goals of drug education and prevention?

When should drug education and prevention efforts be initiated?

What education and prevention efforts are effective?

Who should be responsible for drug education and prevention?

Funding Drug Prevention

In the US, most funds for drug prevention come from the federal government

2012 National Drug Control Budget: $1.7 billion was allocated to drug prevention out of a budget of $26.2 billion

Most community leaders favor spending a larger portion on reducing demand rather than supply of drugs

Agencies

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is responsible for:

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)Office of Treatment ImprovementNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Drug Prevention in Retrospect

1970s: Primary focus was to reduce the supply of drugs by stopping their importation, sale, and manufacture

Interdiction remains a popular strategy but now is complemented by other measures

1980s: Some drug experts began to contend that prevention should be directed toward the underlying factors that contribute to drug abuse

Drug Prevention in Retrospect

Society was concerned primarily with hard drugs such as heroin, LSD, cocaine, crack, and PCP

Soft drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are known as gateway drugs

The primary strategy of CSAP is to keep young people from experimenting with drugs at all

Effectiveness of Prevention Programs

Problems in assessing effectiveness of programs:

Absence of control groupsPoor data collectionGroups that are too smallInappropriate statisticsLack of follow-up to determine how long any

change in drug use persisted

School-Based Programs

Five essential criteria:1. Adequate hours of curricula, over at least

three years

2. Peer involvement

3. Emphasis on social influences, life skills, and peer resistance

4. Change in perceived norms

5. Involvement of parents, peers, and the community in changing norms

Did you get drug prevention or education in school?A. Yes

B. No

C. Not sure

YesNo

Not sure

33% 33%33%

Response

Goals of Drug Prevention

To prevent the individual from beginning drug useTo minimize the risks of drugs to the userTo reduce the risks of drug use to societyTo prevent drug dependencyTo teach responsible drug useTo stop drug use after patterns have been establishedTo delay the onset of drug use

How effective was the program in your school?A. Great, I think it

worked

B. It worked for me.

C. Horrible, people still used drugs, it made no impact.

Great,

I thin

k it w

orked

It worke

d for m

e.

Horrible, p

eople still

use...

33% 33%33%

Response

Levels of Drug Prevention

Primary prevention: Strives to reach people before they start using

alcohol, tobacco, or other drugsShould be initiated at a young age because

most children already have tried drugs, especially alcohol, by the time they get to high school

Includes drug education, mass media campaigns, community-oriented programs, drug testing, and legislation

Levels of Drug Prevention

Secondary prevention: Attempts to minimize potential damage resulting

from drug use by targeting people who have experience with drugs.

Considered an early intervention stage

Tertiary prevention: Geared to heavy drug users and those whose

patterns of drug use are well establishedBasically refers to drug treatment

A teacher develops a small group for children who have anger problems. This prevention model is:

Response

33%

33%

33% A. Primary

B. Secondary

C. Tertiary

Drug Prevention Continuum

Identifying High Risk Youth

High risk behaviors include:Delinquent behavior, self-destructive behaviors,

and dropping out of school

Risk factors include:Individual behavioral factorsIndividual attitudinal factorsIndividual psychosocial factorsFamily factorsCommunity environmental factors

Drugs and Delinquent Behavior

Resilient Children

Many children from impoverished backgrounds display resiliency despite the presence of major life stressors

Characteristics of resilient children:Flexible, responsive, adaptable, and activeHave positive relationships Empathetic, caring, persistent, competent problem-

solvers, success oriented, and educationally motivated

Able to disengage from dysfunctional family environments

At-Risk Factors

Hereditary and Familial Factors:Sons of men with alcohol problems are

more likely to have alcohol problemsRates of dependence are greater if siblings

are dependentFamily history of antisocial behavior or

criminality increases the risk of drug problems

Lack of supervision of children after school is related to drug use

At-Risk Factors

Psychosocial Factors:Peer pressureLow self-esteemLow self-efficacySensation seekingLack of social skillsRebelliousness against authorityLack of commitment to schoolAttraction to devianceUnfavorable attitudes toward adult behavior

At-Risk Factors

Biological Factors:Different amounts of pleasure derived from

drugsDifferent amounts of self-control

Community Factors:Communities where people move oftenExtreme poverty and deprivationCommunities that lack social support and

controls regulating behaviors, including drug use

Preventing High-Risk Behavior

Education:Poor school performance and low expectations

for school are strong predictors of drug use

School alternative programs focusing on community and recreational activities, physical activities, and job training help youths at risk to stay off drugs

Teachers may be role models for helping children to develop resilience

Head Start

Preschool programs such as Head Start help at-risk children

Preventing High-Risk Behavior

Role of parents:Parental drug use greatly increases the

likelihood of children’s drug useParents who have high expectations for their

children foster academic success and resilience

Community efforts:Drug use is prevalent in impoverished, urban

neighborhoodsJobs have been shown to help curb drug use

Preventing High-Risk Behavior

Barriers to community prevention efforts:Leaders’ lack of perceived empowerment to

continue prevention workInsufficient preparation for adopting successful

programs Public resistance to spending more money on

drug prevention programs after ineffective programs

Idea that programs that are effective in one community will not necessarily work in other communities

Drug Education

Evolution in Drug Education:1970s: Information about the dangers of drugsMid 1970s: Values clarification focused on the

underlying values contributing to drug useAlternatives approach substitutes a positive

addiction for the negative addictionMore emphasis on health in general and less

emphasis on the pharmacology of drugsCurrent education emphasizes developing

resilience skills, learning peer-refusal techniques, and gaining life skills

Limitations of Drug Education

Problems with Drug Education:Teachers often do not keep up with latest

informationStudents sometimes know more about

drugs than teachers doSome teachers are judgmental or moralisticGoals of drug education are often unclearGoals of drug education are often unrealistic

Goals of Drug Education

Possible goals:To impart knowledgeReducing drug abuse or dependencyPreventing or delaying first-time drug useCurtailing students’ drug useTeaching responsible drug use

One-Size-Fits-All Drug Education

What Works: Schools Without Drugs Objectives

1. Valuing and maintaining sound personal health and understanding the effects of drugs on health

2. Respecting laws and rules that prohibit drug use

3. Recognizing and resisting pressure to engage in drug-taking behavior

4. Promoting activities that reinforce a positive, drug-free lifestyle

Current Approaches to Drug Education

Personal and Social Skills Training:Young people who rate high in self-efficacy are

more likely to avoid harmful patterns of drug use

Skills training: A drug prevention program in which one learns skills to prevent drug use○ Includes skills for resisting media and

interpersonal influences, problem-solving and decision-making, relieving stress and anxiety, relaxation, self-control, self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and assertiveness

Current Approaches to Drug Education

Social Norms Approach:Goal is to correct misperceptions of students

and reduce alcohol use

Resistance Skills Training:Involves recognizing, managing, and

avoiding situations that may encourage drug use

Current Approaches to Drug Education

Drug Prevention Programs:Project ALERT has been shown to reduce

weekly alcohol and marijuana use, at-risk drinking, and alcohol use resulting in negative consequences, as well as attitudes and perceptions conducive to drug use

Life Skills Training (LST): students are taught how to avoid being persuaded by others, to manage anxiety, to communicate more accurately, to be assertive, and to enhance their self-esteem

Current Approaches to Drug Education

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE):

Police officers go to classrooms and teach elementary students about drugs and personal safety

Had little impact on drug use

Just Say No!Adequate for some students, but not for othersSome students do not recognize peer pressure

or have the skills to refuse drugs

DARE improves relationships between police, children, and schools

Effectiveness of Drug Education Components of Effective Programs:

Based on an understanding of theory and researchInformation is developmentally appropriate; short-

term, negative social consequences are emphasizedEmphasize social resistance skills training Includes normative educationTeachers use interactive teaching techniquesTeachers receive training and supportTime devoted is sufficient and continuedPrograms are culturally sensitive.School programs include family, community, and

mediaEvaluation is necessary to determine effectiveness

Health Education

Drug education at the secondary level typically is taught in health education classes

Sequential health education from K through 12th grade had a positive effect on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors

Administrative support and teacher training are important to the success of health education

Peer Programs

In some, older students teach younger students about drugs

In other programs, peers facilitate discussions about drugs with others of the same age, or peers counsel peers

Besides acting as role models, peer leaders have to be able to communicate effectively

Peer programs were most effective with the average student; for at-risk students, alternative programs were most effective