Abstract
To the Editor
Champion et al. (2015) recently reported findings supporting an Internet-based prevention programme targeting alcohol and cannabis use in early adolescence. They found increased alcohol and cannabis knowledge among 13-year-old students who completed the programme, as well as decreased intentions to use alcohol. Such prevention programmes are critical given high rates of risky drinking among young people, and the wide range of harms associated with early onset and/or regular drinking during adolescence (Lubman et al., 2007). Similarly, intervention efforts promoting help-seeking during this period are paramount, as many adolescents are reluctant to seek help for substance use problems despite the benefits of early treatment.
Research examining help-seeking for mental health problems during adolescence has identified attitudes and beliefs that can act as barriers, including perceptions of stigma, fears about confidentiality, poor problem recognition and a belief that one should be able to sort out one’s own problems. Consequentially, many young people keep their problems to themselves, or turn to peers or key adults (e.g. parents) for help, despite evidence of poor mental health literacy among these groups (Gulliver et al., 2010). Developing programmes that address these barriers is therefore an important component of broader prevention efforts that aim to minimise the harms associated with adolescent drinking (Lubman et al., 2007).
The MAKINGtheLINK: Seeking Help for Risky Drinking programme is a school-based intervention designed to address barriers and enablers to adolescent help-seeking, in order to promote help-seeking for alcohol-related problems before they reach clinical significance. The programme draws upon two well-validated models of behaviour change (the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour) that have been previously utilised in school-based prevention programmes. We recently trialled the programme with 297 Grade 8 (aged 13–15) students from three Victorian schools. The programme was delivered over two sessions (3 hours total) during one week by an experienced teacher external to the school.
An evaluation of the programme identified high levels of satisfaction. Preliminary results demonstrated increased knowledge, awareness of help-seeking options and confidence to seek help for alcohol problems (see Table 1). These data support the feasibility and acceptability of the MAKINGtheLINK programme within a school environment, and add to the evidence supporting early intervention within this context (Champion et al., 2015). Further research is needed to determine whether these findings translate into actual help-seeking behaviours, or whether the effects of the programme generalise to help-seeking for other disorders.
Preliminary results of the MAKINGtheLINK intervention programme.
Responses made on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = ‘not at all’ to 4 ‘a lot’). Agreement reflects the percentage of participants who responded ‘quite a bit’ (3) or ‘a lot’ (4).
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
We thank the young people who participated in the study, the participating high schools and the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria, Australia for their support.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
Funding
The study was supported by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria, Australia.