Adolescent drinking represents a significant problem in the United States. Although high school juniors and seniors are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences associated with alcohol use, evidence-based interventions for this age group are limited. The purpose of this article is to introduce a Web-based alcohol intervention with…

In this paper, the authors review empirical evidence on the effects of peer groups on social, emotional and behavioural functioning. The paper shows that an understanding of the ways in which peer groups can influence the development of deviance and subvert the positive effects of interventions can be exploited in the promotion of positive social…

The objective of the study was to develop and evaluate an effective whole-community approach to identifying a diverse group of influential young people to effectively diffuse health promotion messages among their peers. A peer nomination questionnaire, developed through extensive piloting work, was completed by 10 730 Year 8 students (aged 12-13…

Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a national program aimed at providing mentors for disadvantaged children. This study tested whether Big Sister mentors could be trained to increase communication with their Little Sisters about sexual health issues. The study tested an intervention based on social cognitive theory in which a sexual health communication…

The Student Participation and Counselling Effort (SPACE), a peer interaction approach to classroom behavior crises, was successfully used in a small rural school to help adolescent students manage their own behavior. (CL)

The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of educating students on the negative aspects of enabling their peers. Enabling is any action taken by a concerned person that removes or softens the effect of a harmful consequence. For this study, 24 students (21 females) who were characterized as "Natural Helper" students at a…

Peer Intervention Network (PIN) began in New Jersey in 1980, as a group process intervention for improving the school performance of 7th and 8th grade students with motivational and attitudinal problems which interfered with their learning. Traditionally, these students tend to develop a "delinquent" profile and frequently became…

This paper describes the Young Adult and Adolescent Decision Making About Contraception program, an ongoing clinical research project designed to address the problem of unplanned adolescent pregnancy from a biopsychosocial perspective. The program is described as a peer-led intervention to promote the use of contraception by teenage girls at high…

This publication contains descriptions of prevention and intervention efforts in nine states and Pacific territories. The programs are described in the following sections, each with an introduction: (1) peer programs/youth programs; (2) student assistance programs; (3) community partnerships; (4) parent programs/family support; (5) U.S. Department…

Duquesne University (Pennsylvania) has established a chemical dependency peer intervention program with a strong education and prevention focus which involves identifying, motivating, referring for treatment and aftercare monitoring of impaired pharmacy students. The program includes a required student seminar. Student response to the seminar and…