Young Kids Are Using Substances!

! ! There is now abundant evidence to suggest that kids are already beginning to experiment with alcohol and other substances by the time they are 12 or 13. (Hecht, Hopfer & Ringwalt, 2010, p.2)! "! Experimenting with substances may become more appealing during 5th and 6th grade because of emotional, psychological, and physical changes. (Davis, Elek, Hecht, Hopfer & Kam, 2010)! ! Many 5th graders report that they plan to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes during adolescence and adulthood. (Davis et. al., 2010)! ! Preadolescents are more receptive to prevention programs since substance use is not regularly reinforced in their environments yet. (Davis et. al., 2010)! ! In a large, national survey, kids in 5th and 6th grade were found to double their annual use of alcohol. (Hecht, et. al., 2010)! ! ! !

Substance Abuse Prevention Starts Too Late!

People who begin substance use at a younger age are at a greater risk for:! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

!! !! !! !! !! !! ! !

Future dependency! Damaged brain development! Traumatic injury! Depression! Anxiety! Violent behavior!
!

!! !! !! !! !! !!
!

Truancy! Risky sexual activity! Unplanned pregnancy! STDs! Reduced academic performance! Stunted social maturation!

(Davis, et. al., 2010) (Hecht, et. al., 2010)!

And, theyre less responsive to intervention programs!! ! Best practice guidelines = Start prevention in Kindergarten with more intensive instruction in upper grades.
!

(Bowling, Ennett, Hanley, Haws, Ringwalt & Vincus, 2010, p. 52)

Nevertheless, school-based substance use prevention programs primarily target middle school or high school students. !
! (Davis, et. al., 2010) (Hecht, et. al., 2010)!

So, What Works With Preadolescents?!

! !!Socio-emotional approaches that focus on students character. et. al, 2010)!
(Hecht,

!! Focus on creating negative attitudes about drug use while emphasizing the rarity and unacceptability of drug use. (Hansen, 2010)! !!Teaching life skills, such as:! "! Avoiding peer pressure! "! Better decision making! "! Peer pressure resistance !
! #(Davis, et. al., 2010) (Hansen, 2010) ((Borraccino, Faggiano, Lemma, Versino, Vigna#Taglianti & Zambon, 2008)!

!!Interactive techniques, like role-playing. "! ! !

(Hansen, 2010)!

What Doesnt Work?!

#! Knowledge-based programs that teach the physical and psychological effects of drugs (Borraccino et. al., 2008) ! "! Can actually increase likelihood of drug use! ! #! Programs that focus on the psychological causes of drug use (eg., low self-esteem) (Davis, et. al., 2010)! #! Early intervention without suitable reinforcement in upper grades! #! Explicit drug prevention messages to non-users (eg., how to resist drug offers.) (Hansen, 2010)! ! !

Some Questionable Programs!

!
!

keepin it REAL!
According to several studies, students exposedto keepin it REAL (kiR) believed that substance use among their peers was more normative. !
!
!

D.A.R.E! Drug Awareness and ! Resistance Education!

D.A.R.E. may be taught in as many as 80% of ! the nations school districts. (Hansen, 2010)!

students who received only the fifth grade version of kiR had higher rates of use than control students (Hansen, 2010)
! Studies have raised legitimate concerns about the potential for iatrogenic effects on students nave to substance use (Hecht, et. al., 2010)
!

The only intervention effect found in many studies! was that students were more likely to attend school! on the days they received D.A.R.E. lessons.!
(Hansen, 2010) !

Study ndings provide little support for the implementation and dissemination of the ! revised D.A.R.E. curriculum. ! ! ! ! !
!
(Harris, Ringwalt, Shamblen, Vincus, 2010)

Some Promising Programs!

Across Ages
Guiding Good Choices
Guiding Good Choices (GGC) is a drug use prevention program that provides parents of children in grades 4 through 8 (9 to 14 years old) with the knowledge and skills needed to guide their children through early adolescence. Across Ages is a school- and community-based substance abuse prevention program for youth ages 9 to 13. The unique feature of Across Ages is the pairing of older adult mentors (55 years and older) with young adolescents, specifically those making the transition to middle school.

Positive Action
Positive Action is an integrated and comprehensive program that is designed to improve academic achievement; school attendance; and problem behaviors such as substance use, violence, suspensions, disruptive behaviors, dropping out, and sexual behavior. It is also designed to improve parent-child bonding, family cohesion, and family conflict.

Say It Straight
Say It Straight (SIS) is a communication training program designed to help students and adults develop empowering communication skills and behaviors and increase self-awareness, selfefficacy, and personal and social responsibility.

What does this mean for school counselors?! ! Just because a program is popular doesnt mean its evidencebased.! ! ! ! Here are some places to start: !
SAMHSAs National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices! ! http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/AdvancedSearch.aspx!
*See Printouts on Table for an example of what you can nd here!

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website of evidencebased programs ! http:/ /www.drugabuse.gov/Prevention/examples.html!

References!
Davis, D., Elek, E., Hecht, M.L., Hopfer, S., Kam, J.A., (2010). A review of elementary school-based substance use prevention programs: Identifying program attributes. The Journal of Drug Education, 40(1), 11-36.! ! Health Behavior News Service. (2005, April 19). Best school drug prevention programs teach life skills. Retrieved from http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/04/19/9334.aspx! ! Borraccino, A., Faggiano, F., Lemma, P., Versino, E., Vigna-Taglianti, F., Zambon, A., (2008, July 16). School-based prevention for illicit drugs use. Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group. Doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003020.pub2! ! Hecht, M.L., Hopfer, S., Ringwalt, C., (2010). Drug prevention in elementary schools: An introduction to the special issue. The Journal of Drug Education, 40(1), 1-9.! ! Bowling, M.J., Ennett, S.T., Hanley, S.M., Haws, S.W., Ringwalt, C., Vincus, A.A., (2010) The prevalence of evidence-based substance use prevention curricula in the nations elementary schools. The Journal of Drug Education, 40(1), 51-60.! ! Harris, M.S., Ringwalt, C., Shamblen, S.R., Vincus, A.A., (2010) A short-term, quasi-experimental evaluation of D.A.R.E.s revised elementary school curriculum. The Journal of Drug Education, 40(1), 37-49.! !