At entry, 185 nursing, 152 medical, 140 pharmacy, and 111 allied health students were surveyed; all but the medical students were resurveyed two years later following educational interventions. Nursing students displayed more drug use than did pharmacy students, whose curriculum placed more emphasis on drug and alcohol education. (SK)

This article describes Generation X young adults as they are described by the popular press and in health education literature, focusing on sociodemographic characteristics, health characteristics and risks, learning characteristics, the conflict between Generation X and baby boomers, and ways to conduct more effective health education for them.…

Reviews a broad range of evidence indicating that school-based prevention and youth development interventions are most beneficial when they simultaneously enhance students' personal and social assets and improve the quality of the environments in which students are educated. Asserts that school-based prevention programming--based on coordinated…

The Higher Education Act's Drug-Free Student Aid Provision denies federal aid to anyone convicted of possessing or selling controlled substances. The criminalization of certain offenses and exclusion of others appears to accompany unstated racial and socioeconomic biases. Because minority and poor people are more likely to be convicted of drug…

Study examined effectiveness of a substance abuse prevention program in preventing tobacco and alcohol use among elementary school students in grades 3 through 6. Program teaches social resistance skills and general personal and social competence skills. Findings indicate a school-based substance abuse prevention approach previously found to be…

Examines the role of motivation in substance abusers' acceptance of treatment and its relation to treatment outcomes. Better motivation was consistently associated with severity of substance use. Motivation was not related to alcohol and drug use severity six months later. Severity associated with motivation at entry was not related to clients'…

An instrument to assess the risk of child abuse in families affected by substance abuse is presented. The assessment tool is intended to be used as a guide in data gathering and case planning and for monitoring family progress and evaluating the outcomes of services. Data on the instrument's reliability and validity are presented. (CR)

Associations between substance abuse and emotional and behavioral adjustment were examined in a two-wave longitudinal design for 138 inner-city ninth graders. Drug use showed associations in expected directions with all indices of adjustment except for peer-related sociability. Implications for interventions are discussed. (SLD)

To investigate gender differences in acceptance of substance abuse behavior among adolescents, 968 students were administered a questionnaire to assess their perceptions. Results show that both genders felt that boys would be more approving of teenage substance abuse. Most students were disapproving of a teenager driving after drinking. Other…

Over 5,200 youths processed through a Juvenile Assessment Center during a 20-month period were involved in this study of recidivism predictors. Significant relationships were found between the youths' demographics, dependency referral factors, delinquency referral history variables, and recidivism. Direct implications for service delivery and…

Argues that capturing the attention of college and university presidents regarding alcohol and other drug use requires an understanding of the presidents' public role and the relationship of prevention to the mission of an institution. Claims that leaders in student development must link prevention to their presidents' agendas. (Includes an…

Discusses a qualitative study of five campus prevention programs. Identified 13 factors found to be most critical to the success of alcohol and other drug prevention programs. Discusses each factor in detail, as well as the implications of using qualitative research methods to assess and enhance campus programs. (Includes an index.) (RJM)

Purpose in life and coping skills are hypothesized to mediate association between cognitive abilities (e.g., fluid and crystallized intelligence) and polydrug use. Results indicated relationship between crystallized intelligence and alcohol use was mediated by purpose in life. Older age predicted higher cognitive abilities, stronger coping…

A survey of dental schools (n=49) and dental hygiene programs (n=169) suggests students receive little tobacco cessation education, and respondent schools had no immediate plans for curriculum change in this area, despite reporting positive attitudes about the institutional role in tobacco use cessation interventions. (Author/MSE)

Changes in homelessness since the 1950s and 1960s involve increasing numbers of homeless persons, striking differences in their composition, and marked deterioration in their condition. Beyond similarly high levels of mental illness and substance abuse, the new homeless are younger, poorer, often shelterless, and include more minorities, women,…