Research has shown that substance use often begins with experimentation during early adolescence and reaches a peak during early adulthood. A 2019 survey showed illicit drug use was highest among young adults age 18-25. Illicit drug use can result in a variety of physical, psychological, and interpersonal adverse effects. Therefore, prevention efforts are essential in delaying or preventing the onset of substance use among young adults. Prevention approaches that emphasize teaching social resistance skills and general life skills have been shown to be most effective in decreasing the initiation of substance use. This study examines the long term impact of a school-based illicit drug use prevention program that used cognitive-behavioral skills-training techniques.
The studies sample consisted of 2042 young adults who had participated in a randomized drug abuse prevention trial thirteen years prior when they were in seventh grade. The prevention program tested was Life Skills Training (LST) which focused on drug resistance skills and the development of personal and social competence skills. The seventh grade baseline survey assessed frequency and quantity of use for cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis. The follow-up survey assessed frequency and quantity of use for cannabis, non-medical pills, inhalants, amyl or butyl nitrates, heroin and other narcotics, LSD, PCP, and/or MDMA. Data was analyzed using a series of chi-square analyses and adjusted proportions.
Results of the data analysis showed LST had a protective effect on overall lifetime illicit drug use with 63.4% of those in the intervention group reporting lifetime use compared to 69.3% in the control group (p=0.014). The intervention also had a protective effect on cannabis use (62.0% versus 67.8%; p=0.0188) and cannabis intoxication (57.1% versus 60.1%; p=0.022). Lastly, the prevention program showed a protective effect on non-medical pill use with 13.2% of the intervention group reporting lifetime use compared to 17.0% in the control group (p=0.022).
Takeaway: School-based illicit drug use prevention program that used cognitive-behavioral skills-training techniques can produce long-term effects on illicit drug use behavior.