Conducted large-scale cannabis educational project involving 1,237 elementary and 1,022 secondary school students to examine effects of peer and parent influence on a young person's drug use. Findings suggest that parents rather than peers will be the determining factor in a child's decision to use drugs. (NB)

Reviews 1984 Rand Corporation report recommendation that preventive education is most effective way to prevent adolescent drug abuse within the context of theories related to the causes of drug abuse integrated with the PRECEDE model of health education program planning. Concludes that many variables influencing adolescent drug use are not within…

Conducted two studies to examine relationship between substance use and parent-child relationships in single and two parent families. Results showed that children living with both parents were less likely to report higher substance use than were children living with one parent. Subjects who reported better parent-child relationships were more…

Details theoretical standpoint, procedures, and instruments used to evaluate school-based substance abuse prevention in New York City. Discusses outcome measures and argues that the process by which the outcome behavioral change was achieved must be explored before the outcomes are certified as beneficial and appropriate for an educational…

Examined the role of difficult temperament or behavioral style and tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use in the 133 subjects of the New York Longitudinal Study. Results indicated that the possession of difficult temperamental characteristics at age five and in early adulthood are associated with drug use in young adulthood. (JAC)

Addresses the use of data sources and multivariate data analysis methods for modeling naturally occurring data. Two studies in this special section deal with longitudinal perspectives on drug use and emotional adjustment and an application of log-linear model to examine the stress-buffering function of alcohol. (LLL)

Discusses background and nature of alcohol-related birth defects. Describes a continuum of impairment to offspring of drinking mothers that is dose-related and produces serious behavioral/learning deficits. The continuum includes young people of normal intelligence who perform below expected levels and find school adjustment difficult. Offers…

Results from two large repeated surveys of Canadian students, sampled from grades 7-13 indicated that little time is allocated to drug education. The most common focus is on alcohol. Most drug education is through the medium of teacher-led classes. Discusses implications for more effective drug education. (Author/RC)

Investigated youthful drug use in a rural community. Examined the nature and extent of the drug problem extant in the community. Investigated the reasons cited for using drugs. Examined the characteristics of abstainers and their reasons for nonuse and compared this group with former drug users. (Author/RC)

Tests the impact of two social-cognitive interventions implemented in the 6th grade (Intervention 1) and 8th/9th grades (Intervention 2) on student's skill acquisition and on their 9th and 10th grade substance use. Results indicate positive program effects for Intervention 2 on skill acquisition and overall drug involvement. (RJM)

Compared generic tobacco use among Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian youths (N=4,980) in grades 4, 7, 10, and 12. Found prevalence of regular use was highest among Whites, followed by Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians. Marijuana, alcohol, and other drug use explained approximately 40 percent of variance in tobacco use in each ethnic group. Other…

This article examines three successive surveys of 5th- though 12th-grade students who were exposed to a variety of both school- and community-based prevention and intervention programs. The surveys indicated a decrease in drug use. The author offers her evaluation of the perceived effectiveness of the community's prevention efforts. (RJM)

This article describes a "system approach" training project which utilizes the formation and implementation of localized strategic (action) plans for targeting substance abuse prevention. Participants surveyed in the program reported positive attitudes about the program due to their training and their ability to resist substance abuse…

Examined data from repeated cross-sectional probability surveys of alcohol/drug use conducted biennially since 1979 in Ontario schools to determine relationships between classroom alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis education and student use of these substances. Found strong inverse association between increases in exposure to alcohol and drug…

Data from national survey of 47,000 households revealed that, in school, African Americans received drug education classes less often than whites; students in central city classes less often than those in other regions; and students who reported that drugs were available were less likely to received drug education classes than students who…