Hello everyone and welcome back. In our past sections we have talked a little bit about an overview of prevention and we've talked about the Idaho Logic Model. In this section we are going to talk a little bit about approaches to examining prevention and in relation to looking at risk and protective factors and assets that people have. So let's begin by going to slide two.

The first major type of approach that we look at is developed by Hawkins and Catalano. Basically what they did was identify a variety of risk and protective variables that were associated with substance abuse and these were broken into several categories which I have listed on slide three.

As you can see here there is a wide variety of risk factors and a wide variety of protective factors. So let's look at risk factors first by going to slide four.

As we can see here there is a wide variety of variables that can be important in the community. For example, let's look at the availability of drugs. In general, the more available drugs are in the community the higher the risk that young people will use them. What are the community norms and laws about those? Well as we can see here as well when there are laws and norms that are basically favorable toward drug use, firearms, or crime then there is a high probability that the person will use drugs as well. Transitions and mobility; basically there is always transitions in and out of a community but when you have large numbers and changes in transitions and mobility there is an increased likelihood that they will use compounds. Low neighborhood attachment and community disorganization; basically if there are lots of problems going out there and people do not care about their communities you have a lot of juvenile delinquency and violence, graffiti, etc then there is a higher probability that people will be using drugs there as well. Economic deprivation; basically kids who live in crime ridden areas or have extreme poverty are more likely to use compounds than kids who do not. So basically, what you might do is have the community try to work on having an increase in economics in the area.

There is a wide variety of family issues and family risk factors, as well. For example, if the family has a history of problem behavior, management problems, or conflict there is a higher probability that the children in that family will use drugs. Or if the family attitudes or involvement is involved with drug use or crime or violence then there is a higher likelihood the children will use drugs in that family as well.

School factors, as we can see in slide six; basically what we have found is that children with early and persistent antisocial behavior have a higher probability of using substances. This is especially true for boys in grades K-3. If they are violent and basically act out or whatever it may be they are much higher at risk for substance abuse. Academic failure beginning in elementary school is also a very classic indicator for later substance abuse. Basically what you want to do is focus on having children succeed, not increasing their self-esteem but having them understand and learn the material. Also, a lack of commitment to school by both the children and the parents can be highly correlated with individuals who are going to be substance abusing later on in life.

Now there is also a wide variety of individual and peer risk factors. For example, if the child does not feel that they are part of the society then they do not have to feel bound by the rules of the society. So if they are not feeling responsible for their future success then they do not have to worry about that either. Both of these aspects are highly indicative of overall drug use later on in life.

So in general and as we can see in slide eight, usually what we look at are multiple areas at risk. Again, the more risk factors that you have present the greater the risk the person is going to use drugs. Basically common risk factors will begin to predict common behaviors and problem behaviors as well. These occur across races and cultures. However, even if all these risk factors may be present, protective factors may buffer the risk.

So let's talk about some of these protective factors and again they are broken up into several major groups. The first major group is individual characteristics. As we can see in slide nine bonding with positive persons can keep youth from getting into problems even when many other risk factors are present. The child must have three major aspects for it to reduce the risk. First of all they must have opportunity to contribute to their community, family or school. They also must be taught skills necessary to take advantage of those opportunities. And, they must be recognized and rewarded for their particular efforts. As we can see here, intelligence does not protect against substance abuse but the other aspects of the individual do.

Now there are other aspects that are important as well. Healthy beliefs, as we can see in slide ten, parents and communities that have clear standards of behavior and positive standards for behavior have lower levels of substance abuse. There also must be clear standards established by the parents, teachers, and the community for a child's behavior. And, those must be consistent and widely supported by members of the community. And when that occurs, those protective factors will override many of the other risk factors that we have discussed previously.

So, in general as we can see here in slide eleven, when you have all three of the different protective factors, there is a significant decrease in substance abuse by youth.

Well, there is another major model that is also important to examine in relation to protection from substance abuse and this was developed by the Search Institute. These individuals have been looking at a variety of variables that help youth succeed in staying off substances and doing well in life. They looked at a variety of different areas in relationships, opportunities, values, etc.

The result is as we see in slide thirteen; they have identified a variety of areas for youth to become healthy, caring adults and to become productive adults later in life. These are what they call the Developmental Assets. These are basically strategies to help youth grow and become productive in society. The assets focus on two major areas; external assets, and internal assets. They begin to really examine relationships between the child and the community, with their adults and particular programs.

So, let's look at the types of assets that we have. As you can see on slide fourteen they come under two major groups. There are external assets and these are assets that are provided to a particular youth. Then there are internal assets which are values and skills youth develop to guide themselves over time. There are four major groups for each of these. There are support groups, empowerment groups, boundaries and expectations, and constructive use of time.

So let's look at the external assets first. As we can see here is slide fifteen there is a wide variety of external assets that are extremely important. For example, as we look at the support groups family support is very, very important. Does the family provide love? Do they give positive communication within the family? Do the children get support from other adults? This is especially true when you have more adults involved within the family. Do they have neighborhoods where neighbors watch out for the kids? Do they have a caring school climate where the schools actually become very positive experiences? Are the parents even involved in the schools? Ultimately when all of these are present there is a lower possibility of substance abuse by the children.

Empowerment assets as seen in slide sixteen are also very important. Communities that value youth. Do individuals try to work with youth? Do youth value the adults within those communities? In these communities youth are seen as resources and are seen as useful providing services to others. Furthermore, does a young person feel safe within their community? Do they feel safe within their home? These are very important aspects that are identified.

Boundaries and expectations: as we can see in slide seventeen, boundaries and expectations come from a variety of different areas, from family, schools, from other adult role models, and from having high expectations. As we can see here, when children have firm boundaries and high expectations they come up to that particular level. And as a result of that the children tend to not use substances.

Constructive use of time is another asset. Basically if a child has a variety of programs whether they are youth programs, religious programs, or time at home with parents, etc there is also a significantly less probability of them using substances later.

So those are external assets. What about internal assets? As we can see in slide nineteen, there is a wide variety of internal assets that one looks at. For example, is a child motivated to do well in school? Do they have a good school engagement policy where the children and the teachers work well together? Do they have homework, this is very, very important especially at younger ages? Is the child bonded to the school, that is, do they have pride in their particular school? Do they care about it? Finally, does the child like to read for pleasure or do they watch the television all the time? All these things will be very, very important to whether a child will not use substances.

Another internal asset as we see in slide twenty are positive values. That is, caring for others, having good integrity, honesty about things even when it is difficult. Having restraint, that is, young people believe that it is important not to be sexually active, or use drugs and alcohol.

Social competencies are also important and as we can see in slide twenty-one, basically youth that work and plan out ahead or have good cultural competence, that is, they feel comfortable with people from different cultures. Or they have good resistance skills, that is, they can resist negative peer pressure. And resolve conflict peacefully rather than getting into major fights and assorted other things.

Finally, positive identity is also an important internal asset. That is, having personal power, having control over things, having a strong self-esteem and sense of purpose. And, having a positive outlook for the future is also very important in reducing levels of substance abuse.

So the overall Developmental Assets Model contends that there is a wide variety of strengths that youth have out there and when schools and communities view youth as resources not as problems they have much better results with not having youth with substance abuse problems. Again, the focus is on prevention and is designed to block the need for youth to use drugs.

So how good is this model? Well, it is not a best practice but it is a promising approach. What that means is that it has not been empirically validated as well as many other approaches. One problem with this model is that the research is very correlational. Basically what it identifies and concludes is that when you have more assets available in the community there is less substance abuse and there is some correlational evidence to support that. However, it is not causal. Consequently you really do not know whether or not these variables or assets actually reduce or delay substance abuse. So, consequently it is giving a promising approach but not a best practice, at least not at this time.

The next major model is the resiliency model and it was developed by Emily Werner. What she did was to identify a variety of environmental factors that increase resilience in youth. These factors are listed on slide twenty-six.

For example, the age of the parent of the opposite sex is extremely important. Specifically, young mothers are important for developing resistant boys. Older fathers are important for developing resistant girls. The number of children in the family is also important. Basically four or fewer is much better than having more than four. Spacing between children was also found to be important. For example, having two years between each child was better than having less time. The number of people available to help the mother raise the child, especially when the mom was a single mom was also very important. The more people you have to help out, the less probability the child will use substances. Steady employment, presence of multigenerational network of friends, teachers, and relatives during adolescence is also very important. The key is they keep an eye on ya and the result is you tend to not get into as much trouble. Even church attendance is very important. Having the child going to church and being involved in their church decreases the possibility of substance abuse.

Another variable Werner found and was also very interesting, is shown in slide twenty-seven. It is related to professional help. Kids who overcome adversity better are basically kids who do not seek out professional or institutional help. These kids instead work with people whom they trust, such as, their teachers, ministers, school counselors, and grandparents. Probably one of the most important groups is their friends.

Werner also found that parents with problems have nothing to do with them, kids will basically see through the lies. They will basically identify when the parents are not being very truthful. As a consequence, they spend more time in other areas than at their parent’s house. They spend more time in the schools, in the library, or at their neighbor’s house. And these basically develop significant relationships, become very meaningful, and then cause the child to resist the use of drugs.

In general, the resiliency approach also as we see in slide twenty-nine is a promising approach. However, again, all the data is correlational and it really has not been proven conclusively that resiliency prevents substance abuse.

So in conclusion as we see here there are lots of different models that examine prevention. Each of these has some good information. It does not mean that one particular model is going to identify which kid is going to be a substance abuser or not. Basically, they are all correlated with lowering substance abuse.

So why was this important for you? Well, as you can see in slide thirty-one, consistency is very important for a child. And standards are also very important as well. What we try to do is reduce the risk factors and there is an old saying out there, "One bad apple spoils the bunch." This is also true in relation to prevention. Good kids do not basically change bad kids. Bad kids basically change good kids. Academics are also very important at an early age. If you child is having problems with academics at an earlier age it is important to identify what those problems are and resolve those even if it means you have to spend a lot more time with your child to resolve that. Another major variable that is extremely important is to reinforce good behavior and extinguish or punish bad behavior, when you do that the good behavior, especially when you reinforce it, will increase. Basically, you are the one that makes the difference. You are the one who has the most impact on your child. So the key is to be there for you kid because to do so will lower the probability of your kid engaging in substance abuse.

Well, that concludes this section. We look forward to talking again with you soon and have yourself a good day.

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