Evaluation of a preventive intervention for drug use by adding a component for parents

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Preventive Intervention for Student Adolescents at Risk (PISA-R) when combined with the Minimum Intervention for Parents of Adolescents at Risk (MIPA-R). The study had a quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 25 high school students, 10 female and 15 male (average age 12.10 years, SD = 0.32), and was divided into two groups: the PISA-R group (n = 15) and the PISA-R+MIPA-R group (n = 10). The PISA-R, which consists of an evaluation session, eight intervention sessions and two follow-ups, was applied to both groups. The second group also received the MIPA-R aimed at their parents, which consisted of four intervention sessions and two follow-up sessions. The instruments used for the study were the Detection of Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana Scale, the Resistance to Peer Pressure Scale, the Emotion Management Assessment Scale, the Perception of Drug Use Risk Questionnaire, and the Family Environment Scale. A mixed ANOVA was carried out to identify differences between the two groups in the pre-test, post-test, first follow-up and second follow-up measurements. Statistically significant differences were found in relation to emotional clarity, emotional repair, child communication, child support, parent communication, and hostility and rejection. The PISA-R+MIPA-R intervention showed a positive effect on emotion management and perception of family environment among adolescents.