In the course of evaluating drug prevention programs for youth, we observed that although staff
perceived the programs had quite favorably affected youths' attitudes and behavior, responses
from these youths showed little significant impact on their use or attitudes related to drugs. This
article explores several explanations for the disparity between staff impressions of the impact of
these programs and results from attempts to measure impact objectively. The analysis considers
(a) clients' risk-level for drug use, (b) expectations as to how programs affect client behavior
and attitudes, and (c) the sensitivity of empirical measures to ascertain changes reflecting impact
of the program.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Altschuler, David M., and Paul J. Brounstein .1991. Patterns of drug use, drug trafficking, and other delinquency among inner-city adolescent males in Washington, D.CCriminology29(4): 589-622.
2.
Becker, Harold K., Michael W. Agopian, and Sandy Yeh.1992. Impact evaluation of drug abuse resistance education (DAREJournal of Drug Education22(4):283-91.
3.
Bell, Robert M., Phyllis L. Ellickson, and Ellen R. Harrison .1993. Do drug prevention effects persist into high school? How Project ALERT did with ninth gradersPreventive Medicine22(4):463-83.
4.
Bonoguro, John A., Michael Rhonehouse, and Ellen W. Bonoguro .1988. Effectiveness of four school health education projects on substance useHealth Education Quarterly15(1):81-92.
5.
Donaldson, Stewart I., John W. Graham, and William B. Hansen .1994. Testing the generalizability of intervening mechanism theories: Understanding the effects of adolescent drug use prevention programsJournal of Behavioral Medicine17(2):195-216.
6.
Eggert, Leona L., and Jerald R. Herting .1991. Preventing teenage drug abuse: Exploratory affects of network social supportYouth and Society22(4):482-524.
7.
Ellickson, Phyllis L., Robert M. Bell, and Kimberly McGuigan.1993. Preventing adolescent drug use: Long-term results of a junior high programAmerican Journal of Public Health83(6):856-61.
8.
Ennett, Susan T., Nancy S. Tobler, Christopher L. Ringwalt, and Robert L. Flewelling.1994How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project DARE outcome evaluationsAmerican Journal of Public Health84(9):1394-401.
9.
Esbensen, Finn-aage, and David Huizinga.1990. Community structure and drug use From a social disorganization perspectiveJustice Quarterly7(4):691-709.
10.
Fetterman, David M., Shakeh J. Kaftarian, and Abraham Wandersman, Eds. 1996Empowerment evaluation: Knowledge and tools for self-assessment and accountability Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
11.
Funkhouser, Judith E., and Robert W. Denniston.1992. Histoncal perspective In A promising future: Alcohol and other drug problem prevention services improvement, edited by Mary A Jansen (OSAP Prevention Monograph 10). DHHS Publication No (ADM)92-1807
12.
Funkhouser, Judith E , Eric N. Goplerud, and Rosalyn O. Bass.1992Current status of prevention strategies In A promising future: Alcohol and other drug problem prevention services improvement, edited by Mary A. Jansen (OSAP Prevention Monograph 10) DHHS Publication No. (ADM)92-1807.
13.
Gilchrist, Lewayne D.1991. Defining the intervention and the target population In Drug abuse prevention intervention research: Methodological issues , edited by Carl G Leukefeld and William J. Bukoski (NIDA Research Monograph 107)DHHS Publication No (ADM)91-1761.
14.
Greene, Jennifer, and Charles McClintock.1985. Triangulation in evaluation: Design and analysis issuesEvaluation Review9(5):523-45.
15.
Hancock, Lynne, Debby Hennrikus, David A. Henry, and Rob Sanson-Fisher.1991. Agreement between two measures of drug use in a low-prevalence populationAddictive Behaviors16(6):507-16.
16.
Hawkins, J. David, Denise M. Lishner, Jeffrey M. Jenson, and Richard F. Catalano .1987. Delinquents and drugs: What the evidence suggests about prevention and treatment programming In Youth at high risk for substance abuse, edited by Barry S. Brown and Arnold R. Mills,DHHS Publication No. (ADM)87-1537.
17.
Lorion, Raymond P., Danielle Bussell, and Richard Goldberg.1991. Identification of youth at high risk for alcohol or other drug problemsIn Preventing adolescent drug use: From theory to practice, edited by Eric N. Goplerud, DHHS Publication No. (ADM)91-1725.
18.
Loseke, Donileen.1989. Evaluation research and the practice of social services: A case for qualitative methodologyJournal of Contemporary Ethnography18(2):202-23.
19.
Malvin, Janet H., and Joel M. Moskowitz .1983. Anonymous versus identifiable self-reports of adolescent drug attitudes, intentions and usePublic Opinion Quarterly47(4):557-66.
20.
Pentz, Mary A., Elizabeth A. Trebow, William B. Hansen, David P. MacKinnon, James H. Dwyer, C. Anderson, Bnan R. Flay, Stacey Daniels, and Calvin Cormack.1990Effects of program implementation on adolescent drug use behavior: The midwestern prevention project (MPPEvaluation Review14(3):264-89.
21.
Peyrot, Mark.1991. Institutional and organizational dynamics in community-based drug abuse treatmentSocial Problems38(1):20-33.
22.
Rossi, Peter H., and Howard E. Freeman .1989. Evaluation: A systematic approach, 4th ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
23.
Schneider, Anne L , and Robert E. Darcy .1984. Policy implications of using significance tests in evaluation researchEvaluation Review8(4):573-82.
24.
Spiro, Shimon E., Arieh Shalev, Zahava Solomon, and Moshe Katlen.1989. Self-reported change versus changed self-report: Contradictory findings of an evaluation of a treatment program for war veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorderEvaluation Review13(5):533-49.
25.
Swisher, John D., Cindy Nesselroade, and Coleen Tatanish.1985. Here's looking at you two is looking good: An experimental analysisJournal of Humamstic Education and Development23(3):111-9.
26.
Warr, Mark.1993. Age, peers and delinquencyCriminology31(1):17-40.
27.
Winters, Ken C., Randy D. Stinchfield, George A. Henly, and Richard H. Schwartz .1990. Validity of adolescent self-report of alcohol and other drug involvementInternational Journal of Addictions25(11A):1379-95.
