Preventing substance use among adolescent girls: 1-year outcomes of a computerized, mother-daughter program

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.06.007 Byline: Steven P. Schinke (a), Lin Fang (b), Kristin C. Cole (a) Keywords: Adolescent girls; Substance use; Prevention programming; Family approaches Abstract: This study tested a computerized gender-specific, parent-involvement intervention program grounded in family interaction theory and aimed at preventing substance use among adolescent girls. Following program delivery and 1year later, girls randomly assigned to the intervention arm improved more than girls in a control arm on variables associated with reduced risks for substance use, including communication with their mothers, knowledge of family rules about substance use, awareness of parental monitoring of their discretionary time, non-acceptance of peer substance use, problem-solving skills, and ability to refuse peer pressure to use substances. Relative to control-arm girls, those in the intervention arm also reported less 30-day use of alcohol and marijuana and lower intentions to smoke, drink, and take illicit drugs in the future. Girls' mothers in the intervention arm reported greater improvements after the program and relative to control-arm mothers in their communication with their daughters, establishment of family rules about substance use, and monitoring of their daughters' discretionary time. Study findings lend support to the potential of gender-specific, parent-involvement, and computerized approaches to preventing substance use among adolescent girls. Author Affiliation: (a) School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA (b) Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A1