Nearly all states and the District of Columbia have policies requiring schools to address prevention of alcohol or drug use and abuse in high school health education curricula, according to National Association of State Boards of Education's (NASBE's) State Health Policy Database. But with the added concerns about the pandemic's impact on youth…

The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdowns have had a serious impact. Prevention providers turned to online delivery to maintain their work. This study surveyed substance abuse prevention providers in New York State (NYS) to get a sense of successes and difficulties in the effort to deliver services online. Method: A survey was emailed using…

There is no "magic potion" or vaccine to prevent youth from using alcohol or other drugs. Adolescent substance abuse prevention programs have been largely ineffective because the messaging is taken for granted. Efforts based on theories of growth and development patterns, and are inclusive of strategies beyond the classroom and home,…

This study examined college adjustment between athletes and non-athletes at Manhattan College, a medium-sized college participating in NCAA Division I athletics located in the Bronx, New York. Groups included a total of fifty-two athletes, fifty-six non-athletes, twenty-five female athletes, twenty-seven male athletes, twenty-six female…

Local governments play an important role in improving substance abuse and mental health services. The structure of the local learning collaborative requires careful attention to old relationships and challenges local governmental leaders to help move participants from a competitive to collaborative environment. This study describes one county's…

"Free To Grow"--a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)--supported efforts by Head Start agencies and their community partners to strengthen the families and neighborhood environments of high-risk preschool children living in low-income communities. The goal was to reduce the children's vulnerability to substance…

The purpose of this study was to identify key features associated with the successful transition from prison to community life of ex-offending African American and Latino males who have not recidivated in 3 years or more. To better understand and to identify these factors, I conducted 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews between January 2015…

The research on children whose parents are separated or divorced presents much debate regarding the role of risk factors and the influence of interventions to mitigate negative outcomes. Reviews of research on divorce have consistently supported findings that children of divorce have a higher incidence of mental health, substance abuse, academic,…

This article reports on a review of selected New York State school prevention program student case records. Methods: Data were extracted from Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) standardized Prevention Activity Summary forms. A total of 407 records from 12 high schools throughout New York State were reviewed. Results: The age…

Clinically, the treatment of substance abuse has relied on the Twelve Steps model, which is heavily focused on issues of spirituality. Adolescents may have cognitive and developmental issues that preclude them from taking advantage of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model. To this end, we examined the spiritual orientation and spiritual behaviors…

This study examined the factors that are related to collaboration between high school social workers and substance abuse prevention/intervention counselors in New York State high schools (except for New York City high schools). Constructs that were analyzed were high school social workers' perceived adequacy in working with high school students'…

Little is known about trauma-related symptoms among runaway adolescents. Precocious departure from familial homes often exposes youth to traumatic victimization. This study examined the extent to which runaway adolescents present trauma symptomotology and assessed factors that predict trauma symptoms. Participants (N = 350) were 12-18 years of age…

Sexual risk behaviors of young gay and bisexualmen must be understood within the context of other health concerns (e.g., anxiety, substance abuse), population specific factors (i.e., the coming-out process and gay-related stress), childhood sexual abuse, and other theoretical factors (e.g., safer-sex intentions). The current report proposes and…

In this article, the author talks about Urban Tech, a New York City-based organization that works with schools to teach students the life skills it believes are necessary for academic achievement and workforce readiness. Its Youth Leadership Academy program uses a variety of computer-based, interactive elements to educate students on such topics…

AWOL behavior of adolescents residing in residential treatment is an issue requiring examination, especially in light of the variety of dangers these adolescents may be exposed to while away from treatment. This study assessed AWOL behavior of three consecutive entry cohorts (n = 234) of adolescents at a large long-term RTC in New York State. AWOL…