scholarly journals The 4-H Health Rocks! Program in Florida: Outcomes on Youth Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Substance Abuse Prevention

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-76
Author(s):  
Muthusami Kumaran ◽  
Kate Fogarty ◽  
Amanda Terminello ◽  
Whitney M. Fung
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Adolescent Substance Abuse ◽  
Adolescent Substance ◽  
Drug Knowledge ◽  
Program Components ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

Youth tobacco, alcohol, and other substance abuse is a serious concern in the State of Florida, as well as across the nation. 4-H Health Rocks! is a positive youth development prevention program that utilizes experiential learning methods and youth-adult partnerships. The program and supporting curriculum were designed to foster personal and social skills to better equip adolescents to overcome pressures to participate in substance use. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation of Health Rocks! in Florida and program evaluation including its impact on participants’ drug knowledge, drug beliefs and attitudes, and drug resistance skills. Program evaluation indicates that 4-H Health Rocks! resulted in statistically significant improvement in each of these categories for hundreds of youth reached in 2009-2012. The importance of program components in preventing and influencing adolescent substance abuse are discussed.

Self-Perceived Strengths Among Adolescents With and Without Substance Abuse Problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-288
Author(s):  
Nicholas Harris ◽  
James N. Brazeau ◽  
Edward P. Rawana ◽  
Keith Brownlee ◽  
Rupert Klein
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Adolescent Substance Abuse ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Adolescent Substance ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Statistical Approaches ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Strengths Assessment

The importance of examining positive aspects of youth development has been emphasized across disciplines involved in the care of youth with substance abuse problems. However, little is known about the strengths of adolescents with substance abuse problems, especially youth entering residential treatment. Utilizing the Strengths Assessment Inventory, a measure assessing psychological and social strengths, we examined patterns of strengths across groups of age- and gender-matched youth who reported no substance use, frequent substance use, and those entering treatment for severe substance use. Each group consisted of 43 participants ranging in age from 14 to 18 years. Results indicated that, on average, individuals entering treatment scored lower on personal strengths. However, through the use of more sophisticated statistical approaches, it was found that certain strengths were predictive of individuals belonging to the treatment group. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to the treatment of adolescent substance abuse problems.

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