Citation

Williams CL, Perry CL, Farbakhsh K, Veblen-Mortenson S. J. Stud. Alcohol. Suppl. 1999; 13: 112-124.

Affiliation

Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55454, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10225495

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Project Northland is an ongoing prevention trial with the objective of reducing underage drinking and related problems. Phase I focused on early adolescence and this study describes the multiple interventions, highlighting its parent components. METHOD: A cohort design was used with sixth graders from 24 school districts (N = 2,35 1: 97% of the eligible population: 51.3% boys), randomly assigned to intervention or reference condition. Phase I ended in eighth grade (N = 1,901: 81% retention rate). Both demand and supply reduction guided the interventions. This study examined Project Northland's impact using MMPI-A scales assessing clinical problems related to adolescents' alcohol and other drug use (Alcohol/Drug Problems Proneness scale; Alcohol/Drug Problems Acknowledgement scale), as well as MMPI-A scales related to school functioning (Adolescent-School Problems Content scale: Adolescent-Low Aspirations Content scale) and family functioning (Adolescent-Family Problems Content scale). RESULTS: Results showed significant reductions on the MMPI-A Proneness scale for those exposed to the interventions. The greatest program effects were among baseline nonusers of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the impact of Project Northland is not only on specifically targeted alcohol and drug use behaviors and their predictive factors, but also on intra-individual and familial factors generally considered precursors of more extensive problem behaviors and more resistant to change. Furthermore, the engaging home-based sixth-grade intervention, the Slick Tracy Home Team Program, is a promising population-based prevention approach that may generalize to other serious problems within a young person's family.

Language: en