Results of a Type 2 Translational Research Trial to Prevent Adolescent Drug Use and Delinquency

Abstract

To test whether the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system reduces adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and delinquent behavior communitywide. Design:The Community Youth Development Study is the first randomized trial of CTC.Setting: In 2003, 24 small towns in 7 states, matched within state, were randomly assigned to control or CTC conditions.Participants: A panel of 4407 fifth-grade students was surveyed annually through eighth grade.Intervention: A coalition of community stakeholders received training and technical assistance to install the CTC prevention system. They used epidemiological data to identify elevated risk factors and depressed protective factors in the community, and chose and implemented tested programs to address their community's specific profile from a menu of effective pro-grams for families, schools, and youths aged 10 to 14 years.Main Outcome Measures: Incidence and prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and delinquent behavior by spring of grade 8. Results:The incidences of alcohol, cigarette and smokeless tobacco initiation, and delinquent behavior were significantly lower in CTC than in control communities for students in grades 5 through 8. In grade 8, the prevalences of alcohol and smokeless tobacco use in the last 30 days, binge drinking in the last 2 weeks, and the number of different delinquent behaviors committed in the last year were significantly lower for students in CTC communities. Conclusion:Using the CTC system to reduce healthrisking behaviors in adolescents can significantly reduce these behaviors communitywide.

Testing the Universality of the Effects of the Communities That Care Prevention System for Preventing Adolescent Drug Use and Delinquency

“…While the previously reported analyses of the overall impact of CTC (Hawkins et al, 2009) did not find a significant difference by intervention condition in eighth-grade marijuana use, the present interaction analyses suggest that CTC may have reduced Grade 8 marijuana use for boys, but not for girls. The interaction between intervention condition and gender was statistically significant and subgroup analyses indicated that boys in CTC communities reported a lower prevalence of 30-day marijuana use than boys in control communities (AOR = .66, p = .09), while the prevalence of marijuana use was about the same for girls in both conditions (AOR = 1.22, p = .45).…”

Long-Term Effects of Social–Emotional Learning on Receipt of Special Education and Grade Retention: Evidence From a Randomized Trial of INSIGHTS

“…In contrast, the grade retention finding for this study is not fully aligned with prior work evaluating impacts of SEL programs (e.g., Hawkins et al, 1999; Hawkins et al, 2009). For example, in their 6-year follow-up of the Seattle Social Development Program, Hawkins and colleagues (1999) found that the program reduced grade retention by 12.5 percentage points.…”

Community intervention to prevent adolescent health behavior problems: Evaluation of communities that care in Australia.

“…United States, the significant effects observed in the present evaluation are in line with those from previous evaluations (Greenberg et al, 2005;Hawkins et al, 2009). The present findings confirm prior studies (Livingston, 2014) in observing reductions in a range of Australian adolescent health problems in recent decades.…”

“…The current findings are in line with previous reports of outcomes following the implementation of the CTC process. Although previous evaluations have been mostly limited to the United States, the significant effects observed in the present evaluation are in line with those from previous evaluations (Greenberg et al, 2005; Hawkins et al, 2009).…”