Rural Family and Community Drug Abuse Prevention Project (Project Family)
About
In 1992-1993, a preliminary randomized, controlled efficacy study of the Preparing for the Drug Free Years (PDFY) preventive intervention was conducted. PDFY, a family-focused program designed to prevent adolescent substance abuse and other problem behaviors, had not previously been evaluated with a rural population. The pilot efficacy study included 209 families of 6th and 7th graders enrolled in rural schools in two Iowa counties. Multi-method, multi-informant measurement procedures were employed in the pre- and post-test assessments. Initiated in 1993, Project Family's Initial Longitudinal Efficacy Trial includes an evaluation of two family-focused interventions working towards drug abuse prevention. The two interventions, Preparing for the Drug Free Years (now Guiding Good Choices) and the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (now Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14), were delivered to families when their child was in the 6th grade. 667 families, recruited from 33 rural school districts in southern Iowa, participated in the trial pretest assessment. Subsequent assessments included 6th grade post tests and follow-up assessments when the adolescents were in the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. Multi-method, multi-informant measurement procedures were employed for each wave of data collection.
Principal Investigator: Richard Spoth
Funders:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism