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Substance use among adolescents in South Africa is a growing concern. While a growing body of research is outlining the ability of parents to influence and moderate the uptake of risk behaviours, limited literature is available in South Africa on the links between parenting practices and substance use. The present study explored adolescents’ perceptions of parenting practices with respect to their substance use behaviours. Eight focus group discussions were conducted with grade 8 and 9 school-going learners from four purposively selected public high schools in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal. The discussions were informed by constructions of the Integrated Model of Change (I-Change Model) and appropriate literature. Data was analysed thematically. This study provides further evidence that parenting behaviours can influence adolescent behaviour. The findings suggest that specific parenting practices pertaining to parent-child communication, parental support, warmth, and monitoring can have an influence on adolescent alcohol and tobacco use. Negative parenting may lead to disruptive behaviour, vulnerability to peer pressure and subsequent substance use. It is recommended that early intervention and prevention programs for substance use include aspects of parenting practices that influence adolescent substance use. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

This study addressed the efficacy of a multimodal substance abuse prevention program with elite-level athletes. By utilizing components of substance abuse information and education, coping skills training, and self-esteem strategies, the study examined the effect of these variables on the subsequent alcohol and drug use behaviors and attitudes of the participants.In addition, measures of self-esteem and stress were examined to determine the effect of prevention on these variables. Gender differences were examined regarding substance use behaviors and attitudes, and change score measures were utilized to observe for behavioral changes from pretest to follow-up testing.Results indicated no differences on any of the dependent measures. Utilizing a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), no significant differences in substance use behaviors and attitudes between athletes in the treatment and control conditions were found. There were also no gender differences reported on the dependent measures. In addition, chisquare (X2) analyses demonstrated no behavioral or attitudinal differences. A significant finding indicated that control group subjects had more substance abuse changes (both positive and negative) than the treatment condition. The hypotheses of the study were unconfirmed as a result of the statistical analyses.Limitations of the present study include the small sample size (although representative of the population), the small amount of actual reported use behaviors, and the length of the program (not sufficient time). It is recommended that future research in this area maintain the multimodal approach, while lengthening the time of implementation. Future dependent measures must be able to accurately detect small fluctuations in reported substance abuse behavioral changes.The survey data suggest that athletes at the elite level do demonstrate alcohol and drug use behaviors that may be detrimental to their personal and professional potential. Substance abuse education programs are necessary components of holistic prevention for athletes at all levels of training and competition. Future programs must consider the present study in the development of more successful and practical substance abuse education for athletes. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Substance abuse is a major social issue within the South African Police Service (SAPS). To address this issue, the SAPS implement an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) as an intervention to address problems that may affect the work performance of employees. Despite the existence of this programme, substance abuse is still occurring and has a negative impact on work performance. This concern has fuelled the researcher to initiate this study. The goal of this study is to gain an understanding of Port Elizabeth SAPS employees’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the EAP substance abuse prevention programme. A qualitative research methodology, with a descriptive, exploratory and contextual research design was implemented. The researcher elected to use non-probability sampling, specifically, purposive sampling for this study. A sample of ten employees was chosen from an area demarcated for the purpose of the study, within the SAPS in Port Elizabeth. Data was collected through semi-structured, individual interviews. Interviews were continued until saturation point was reached. The interviews were analyzed according to the detailed guidelines set out by Tesch (in Creswell, 2003:192). The data was verified according to Guba’s principles (in De Vos, Strydom, Fouche & Delport, 2002:351). The researcher also employed the services of an independent coder in order to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. The perceptions of EAP as a substance abuse prevention programme, by employees of the SAPS in Port Elizabeth, have not been highlighted adequately within the South African context. The researcher’s study will hence contribute to the existing body of knowledge of the discipline.

This study employs interviews to measure the perceptions of sixteen teachers, nine school principals, and seven School Resource Officers on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, offered to grade six students in one small (population approximately 70,000) city in western Canada. Perceptions in three areas are examined: curricular content, program delivery, and efficacy. Subjects overwhelming viewed the curricular content favourably. Similarly, there was strong agreement that the program was well delivered. The efficacy of the program was judged less positively; however, this did not mitigate the subjects' strong desire to continue implementation of the program. These results are consistent with the research literature on DARE which documents the popularity of the program, but acknowledges that it appears to have limited effects upon reducing student drug use. The results of this study are used to examine five options for delivering an in-school program for preventing or reducing drug abuse and violence among students. The options explored range from retaining the DARE program in its current form, to eliminating it, reforming it, implementing an alternative program, or designing an entirely new drug and violence prevention program. The conclusion drawn is that the DARE program should be withdrawn and replaced with an entirely new drug and violence prevention program and curriculum specific to community realities and needs. / vii, 109 leaves ; 28 cm.

Disparities between the substance use rates of sexual or gender minority (SGM) youth and the rates of youth identifying as heterosexual (i.e., attracted to the opposite sex) and cisgender (i.e., gender identity corresponds to birth sex) have given rise to calls for 1) research to understand the specific risk and protective factors relating to substance use in SGM youth and 2) the development of corresponding intervention programming In three papers, this dissertation explores predictors for substance use among SGM youth and describes methods of targeted recruitment for a prevention intervention program tailored to SGM youth. In the first paper, comparing the contributing factors of substance use between sexual minority and heterosexual youth revealed that although many predictors were associated with use in both groups, sadness, suicidal ideation, difficulty concentrating, and forced sexual encounters were the most consistent and substantial contributors to the explanation of the difference in use rates between groups. In the second paper, risk and protective factors identified from social learning theory and minority stress theory, including perceived stress, problem-solving skills, self-esteem, self-efficacy, substance refusal skills, and peer use of substance, were generally associated with past-month substance use. Peer use of substance and substance refusal skills, in particular, were consistently and robustly associated with substance use in the sample of SGM youth, and their intersection provides insight into themes to address in future intervention development. Issues of disclosure and parental permission have made recruiting representative samples of SGM youth challenging, and the third paper offers insight into an inexpensive and time-efficient means of recruiting SGM youth for participation in such research. The specificity with which Facebook ads can be targeted to hard-to-reach populations makes it a preferred tool for researchers who seek to recruit SGM youth. Taken together, the three papers of this dissertation can serve as a guide for the development and execution of substance use prevention research that is tailored to the specific needs of SGM youth.

The status of athletic department ATOD policies has received limited attention. Few studies have examined the extent to which athletic trainers are currently involved in developing and revising their drug education and prevention policies. This study compared the perceptions of head athletic trainers from NCAA member Divisions I, II and III toward the status of their current ATOD policies and what they would ideally like to see in their athletic departments. Policy issues were related to each of the following four domains, 1) policy implementation; 2) educational programs; 3) ATOD policy enforcement; 4) athletic trainer participation in developing and evaluating ATOD policies. A web-based questionnaire was designed to collect data. Responses were collected from (353) head athletic trainers at three NCAA member institutions. Conveying ATOD policies to visiting student athletes related to the use of drugs banned by the NCAA during recruitment visits was the highest priority among HATS in three NCAA divisions. Athletic trainers from all divisions wanted to see ATOD education programs scheduled closer to athletic events when the potential for drug use could increase. Drug enforcement policies related to the consequences of testing positive for using a banned drug after a second or a third time by athletes was a high priority for Division I and III HATS. Division II trainers reported that mandatory drug testing was also a high priority. More Division I NCAA member institutions had evaluated their ATOD policies during the past year compared to Division I and III members. Participation in developing and revising athletic department and team ATOD policies was an important priority for head athletic trainers. HATS who were more involved in developing ATOD policies mentioned that they gained a better understanding of drug abuse and drug testing issues when they were part of their athletic departments' policy making process. / Graduation date: 2004

The importance and use of data and information to make sound programmatic decisions are receiving increased attention as state and federal funding for public health programs grows tighter and as demands for accountability continue. This dissertation provides insight into fundamental questions regarding the utilization of a Web-based reporting system on knowledge management practices for Tobacco Prevention Programs and examines what happened in Texas after the merger of the Tobacco Prevention Program into the Substance Abuse Prevention Program. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to explore meaning of actions and to identify common themes as they relate to information sharing and utilization of Texas’ Program Management and Tracking System (PMATS). Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted. First, core functions of PMATS are examined through the experiences of its end-users; and second, the impact of the merger on retention and use of PMATS within the Department of State Health Services is explored. Four themes were identified as they relate to core functions of PMATS, including its use as a codification system, its use to track performance measures, and its use for report generation and for programmatic decision-making. These four primary uses of PMATS remained the same pre- and post- merger, although how the systems were utilized during these periods differed. A central theme that permeated all interviews was the impact of the merger of the Tobacco Control Program into the Substance Abuse Program on individual beliefs and attitudes (i.e., job security, low morale, etc.), on systems characteristics (i.e. feedback, internal reporting structures, etc.), and on organizational culture (i.e., training, leadership, etc.). Since entering into PMATS was contractually required, individual attitudes and beliefs did not impact use of PMATS. However, competing IT systems, lack of a champion, lack of knowledge and support by upper management, and lack of communication were identified as key influences on systems characteristics and on organizational culture, which ultimately contributed to the termination of PMATS. Both applied research and practice recommendations are discussed, including IT due diligence, creating a knowledge culture, and network analysis of information sharing practices. / text

BABES (Beginning Alcohol and Addictions Basic Education Studies) is a drug and alcohol prevention program designed to provide children with un-biased, non-judgemental information concerning alcohol and drug use. The program includes elements of social skills training and empowers children to make informed decisions.The purpose of this study was three-fold: to study the reliability of the BABES instrument, to investigate the effectiveness of the BABES program by administering the BABES instrument and to determine how children's knowledge levels were affected by the program.One hundred and five children were randomly selected from two local day care centers and from Head Start of Delaware County, Indiana. Consents were obtained for 61 children. Preschoolers from Head Start children and from one of the day care centers completed the Pre-Attitude Assessment Inventory and the BABES test. The Pre-AAI was administered prior to BABES and immediately following the prevention program, whereas the BABES test was given at both of those times and also during a two-week follow-up assessment. Children from the other day care center were utilized to check the reliability of the BABES instrument. They received the BABES test two times.A MANOVA was used to analyze the pre, post-test, and follow-up scores on the BABES test. In addition, difference scores were calculated for the Pre-AAI to determine if a knowledge gain was present, and finally, a Pearson R correlation was conducted to determine the test-retest reliability of the BABES instrument.The results showed that the BABES instrument appears to be a fairly reliable instrument and that the children participating in BABES learned more AOD related concepts as presented in BABES than those children who were not exposed to the prevention program. However, children in the experimental group also experienced a negative knowledge gain of different types and/or behaviors associated with AODs. / Institute for Wellness

Western Governments have been obliged to tackle illicit substance abuse by focusing on health issues, this has resulted in preventative policies that direct drug education through schools. As a consequence there are hundreds of drug education programs and the majority are competing for funding under the same auspice. Victoria's response has been to develop a prevention program known as Get Real and phase it into Victorian schools over a three year period. / The three year period ended in 1999 and due to a change of Government the Get Real program has been re-funded for another 12 months, this is despite the fact there have been no formal evaluations conducted about its success or otherwise. / This program has been examined in relation to its own objectives and juxtaposed against two other main programs operating in schools in Australia. The results suggest Get Real is on the road to achieving its objectives which are to provide students with a realistic knowledge hasp about drugs and their effects. However, its broader goal which is to prevent illicit substance abuse cannot be evaluated because there are no studies that show its success or otherwise. / Based on the hypothesis thill drug education programs prevent illicit substance abuse in teenagers, Get Real's curriculum was compared with other similar programs and the research done on these programs suggest drug education programs do not successfully prevent illicit substance abuse. / The best Get Real and other programs can hope to achieve, is to provide realistic information and develop children's social skills and empower them with the knowledge and self esteem to make their own decisions. And to know that they alone are responsible for their choices and the consequences that follow from these choices.