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The article offers information on a research related to substance use prevention for Asian American adolescent girls. It informs that the study was conducted on a parent-child program with a sample of adolescent girls and their mothers and evaluation of the program's efficacy on decreasing girls' substance use and modifying risk and protective factors at individual, family, and peer levels were examined. It revealed that a culturally generic, family-based prevention program was efficacious.

Much controversy has surfaced in recent years concerning the proper use of research in practice. Responding to that controversy, this book reviews the latest methodologies for social work research and [...]

This 2008 study involved 546 Black and Hispanic American adolescent girls and their mothers from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Participants provided self-report data. Analysis of covariance indicated that the experimental intervention reduced risk factors, improved protective factors, and lowered girls' alcohol use and their future intentions to use substances. The study supports the value of computer-based and gender-specific interventions that involve girls and their mothers. Future work needs to replicate and strengthen study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the role of family processes, peer, and psychological influence on the alcohol use among adolescent girls. It says that there were 1,187 sample pairs of adolescent girls. It measures several variables including girls drinking behavior, peer alcohol use, and maternal drinking. It shows that high level of maternal drinking, poor academic performance, and greater level of depression were observed on group of girls who ever drank and drank recently.

Objective: To examine correlates of sexual experimentation and risk among urban, early adolescent girls (N = 236, 12.38 ± 1.2 years). Methods: Measures of HIV risk-related attitudes, interpersonal influences, and intentions were compared based on girls' degree of sexual experimentation and risk. Results: Girls in high sexual experimentation and risk groups scored highest on deviant peer norms; endorsements of risky behaviors; and inability to refuse unprotected sex, offset negative partner influences, avoid intercourse, and assert sexual desires. Greater experimentation occurred among girls with older versus same-age or younger partners. Conclusions: Risk correlates should be considered in designing HIV prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group-randomized design tested a mother-daughter intervention in which researchers aimed to increase protective factors in a community sample of Black urban adolescent girls. Girls and their mothers at 2 community agencies were pretested and, by agency, were randomized to either an intervention arm or a control arm. Intervention arm girls and their mothers received a program for improving mother- daughter rapport. Posttest data collected 3 weeks after program delivery revealed that intervention arm mothers and daughters improved more than did control arm mothers and daughters on measures of communication and closeness. At 3-month follow-up, intervention arm mothers, relative to control arm mothers, continued to report better communication with and closeness to their daughters. Girls and mothers in the intervention arm rated the computer program favorably on parameters of enjoyment, comfort, relevance, usefulness of information, improvements to their relationship with one another, and whether they would recommend the computer program to friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To examine the application of the transtheoretical model (TTM) to fruit and vegetable consumption among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. Methods. Scales for measuring decisional balance, situational self-efficacy, and processes of change for fruit and vegetable consumption were developed and pretested with 57 economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. The scales and measures for assessing stages of change, demographic variables, and fruit and vegetable consumption were administered to a separate sample of 262 participants. t-tests for independent samples and analysis of variance were used to examine differences in TTM variables and fruit and vegetable consumption across stages of change. Results. Two-factor solutions for decisional balance and processes of change and a threefactor solution for situational self-efficacy provided the best fit to the data. Alpha coefficients of reliability for the scales ranged from .77 (experiential change processes) to .91 (pros). Participants in action-maintenance stages evidenced higher pros, self-efficacy, and fruit and vegetable consumption and significantly lower cons than did participants in precontemplation and contemplation-preparation stages. Also, participants in action-maintenance stages used processes of change more frequently than did those in precontemplation-contemplation-preparation stages. The use of experiential and behavioral processes within these stages did not differ significantly, as posited. Discussion. Observed differences in TTM variables and fruit and vegetable consumption by stage of change in this sample of economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents were consistent with theory and previous applications of the model to fruit and vegetable consumption in adults. With replication studies, the TTM may be appropriate for designing interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Rates of drug use among sexual-minority youths are disproportionately high. Yet, expressly designed prevention programs targeting this population are absent. This study developed and tested a web-based drug abuse prevention program for sexual-minority youths. Methods A sample (N = 236) of sexual-minority youths was recruited via Facebook. Online, all youths completed pretests; youths randomly assigned to the intervention received a 3-session prevention program; and all youths completed posttest and 3-month follow-up measurements. Results At 3-month follow-up and compared to youths in the control arm, intervention-arm youths reported less stress, reduced peer drug use, lower rates of past 30-day other drug use, and higher coping, problem solving, and drug-use refusal skills. Conclusions Outcome data suggest the potential of tailored intervention content to address sexual-minority youths' drug use rates and related risk factors. Moreover, study procedures lend support to the feasibility of using the Internet to recruit sexual-minority youths, collect data, and deliver intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides support for the effectiveness of a substance abuse prevention curriculum for the elementary level called the Million Dollar Machine (MDM). Curriculum design; MDM target.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has no known cure. Due to its irreversible course, AIDS frequently ends in death. Consequently, preventive interventions with adolescents offer promise for combatting AIDS in America. This article focuses on the reasons for and nature of such interventions with the high-risk groups of Americans: Black and Hispanic Americans. The article reviews the nature of AIDS among Black and Hispanic Americans. Next, the advantages of a preventive intervention approach to AIDS are noted. The article concludes with a discussion of the promise and limitations of interventions for AIDS prevention among the target populations of American adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance abuse is one of the worst problems experienced by American Indian people. In this article, methods to prevent substance abuse among Indian young people are described and the future implications of drug and alcohol abuse prevention efforts with Indian youth are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the contribution of social supports to mitigating the difficulties of teenage motherhood. School-age mothers often experience the multiple stessors accompanying minority racial and age status, poverty, biological change and family upset. The results of these stessors include interrupted education and prolonged unemployment. Moreover, any teenage parents never catch up with the educational, occupational and social advances of their non-parenting peers. Early childbearers seldom finish school, often labor at menial jobs and most often live in poverty. Problems in parenting and with mental health may also last until well after adolescent mothers reach maturity. Despite the difficulties facing them, some adolescent parents prevail and compete their education, rear children successfully and gain access to career-ladder jobs. Research suggests several contributors to better outcomes for teenage parents, including income supports, comprehensive school and health programs and staying unmarried. Further contributing to auspicious outcomes of teenage parenthood are strong social supports. Teenage parents need the knowledge, material supports, child chare, decision-making and emotional encouragements provided by kith and kin.

A smoking-reduction program provided an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of social work intervention. The model developed for the program yields a means of empirically demonstrating practice efficacy, of gathering data-based feedback about social programs, and of accounting to clients, administrators, and funders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a multiple casework services approach to understanding and preventing the serious consequences of teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is associated with social and psychological problems. A multiple casework services approach can better address the social problems raised by teenage pregnancy, childbearing, and parenthood. Such an approach puts attention on three opportunities for social casework: primary prevention, early intervention, and aftermath services. Primary prevention is the single most important opportunity for casework services with teenagers at risk for pregnancy. Clearly, the only time social workers or other professionals can help prevent an unwanted teenage pregnancy is before conception. The scope and associated problems of teenage pregnancy clearly warrant this widespread attention given this social phenomenon. Unfortunately, most programs dealing with adolescent pregnancy have yielded disappointing results. These failures stem from the inadequacy of a single cause perspective.

Agency-based rescarch is critical to the applied science of social work. Although the need for such research has been recognized, there are few guidelines for investigators contemplating research endeavors in social service agencies. Drawing on their experience as intervention researchers, the authors offer suggestions and caveats to help investigators anticipate and overcome barriers to conducting research in community agencies. Social workers are advised to attend to the needs and concerns of practitioners, administrators, and clients as they plan and conduct agency-based research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research on the prevention of substance abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native youth offers challenges and demands careful methods. This paper describes such challenges in terms of philosophical, political, and cultural issues surmundiig substance abuse prevention research with American Indian and Alaska Native people. The authors suggest how social work researchers can address these issues through strategies of community 'collaboration, goal sening, and cultural sensitivity. The paper discusses the limits, implications, and future applications of the described strategies for research on the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pregnant and parenting adolescents and professionals identified sources of strain from daily interactions. Pregnant adolescents predicted more exposure to difficult situations and more trouble handling those situations than parenting teenagers actually experienced. Urban, suburban, and rural teenage parents differed on the type of problems and amount of strain encountered. Social supports and cognitive coping strategies were found to moderate the effects of environmental stressors and to reduce depression and anxiety. The findings suggest that clinical efforts to promote skill in interpersonal conflict resolution, cognitive coping strategies, and developing and maintaining social supports may help adolescents manage the multiple stressors of parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed preadolescents hosted an evaluation of cognitive and behavioral social competence training. Participants were 45 young men of 51 enrolled at the center. Post-test measurement showed boys in the problem solving and interpersonal skill training conditions had better conceptual abilities and overt comportment than boys in the problem solving only or discussion and test only conditions. No significant differences were found on locus of control scores or on ratings of videotaped performance tests. Study findings have implications for future research and treatment with emotionally disturbed youth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

After completing a pretraining assessment battery, 23 graduate student subjects were,assigned randomly either to an experimental condition, trained in specific inte~ewingskills, or to a delayed-training control condition. Based on videotaped interviews, pretraining to posttraining change scores showed experimental condition subjects superior to control condition subjects on ratings of forward trunk lean, open-ended questions, content and affect summarization, stimulus-response incongruence, and physical distance from a role-played client. Experimental condition subjects rated their interviewing performance more positively than did control condition subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the strategies for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among African-American and Hispanic-American adolescents. Based on social learning theory, the authors describe culturally sensitive interventions. These interventions combine elements of cognitive-behavioral skills for problem solving, interpersonal communication, and coping with elements of HIV facts and ethnic pride. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the strengths and limitations of skills intervention for the prevention of AIDS.

Effects of brief crisis-intervention training with paraprofessionals were examined by randomly assigning 41 dormitory resident assistants to one of two conditions. Participants in the first received four hours of training in knowledge and skills associated with three crisis-intervention roles: helper, behavior-change agent, and referral source; those in the second served as untrained controls. All then completed an assessment battery including knowledge tests, role-played interviews, and postinterview questionnaires. Results showed trained resident assistants scored significantly higher than did those untrained on substantive knowledge, interviewing skills, recall of interview content, correctness of clinical judgments and referral suggestions, and overall crisis-intervention competence. Participant evaluations of the workshop indicated high satisfaction with content, process, and trainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope and problems of adolescent pregnancy are far reaching. Social workers need strategies to help teenagers avoid early, unwanted pregnancy. This paper gives a promising approach to such primary prevention. Delivered in small groups, the cognitive-behavioral prevention strategy taps theory and empirical data on adolescent sexuality, contraception, and social work group methods. Prevention training incorporates facts about human reproduction and birth control, problem solving, decision making, and interpersonal skills. Results from two field studies describe short-term and longitudinal benefits of the prevention strategy. The paper discusses its benefits and how other social workers can advance cognitive-behavioral prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The dangers posed by AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are well known. Government, media, and medical organizations have provided extensive information on AIDS and on how to protect oneself against infection. Nevertheless, this fatal and irreversible disease continues to claim new victims. Clearly, there is an urgent need to develop new methods of educating the public about AIDS prevention. This paper reviews a new, interactive microcomputer approach to educating at-risk adolescents about AIDS. Emphasizing culturally sensitive and interactive approaches to prevention, the authors describe, illustrate, and assess interactive strategies and computer-based content for reducing the risks of AIDS and HIV among Black and Hispanic youth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article explores the use of complementary alternative medicine among Chinese Americans reporting mental health symptoms in the U.S. On a cross-sectional survey, out of 153 Chinese American patients, 126 reported current use of complementary therapies, such as megavitamin therapy and herbal medicine. It is concluded that increasing mental health services consumption by members of ethnic-racial groups call for more attention to complementary alternative medicine use.