Pilot Evaluation Study of the Life Skills Program REBOUND

The main aim of the study is pilot evaluation of the life skillsprogram REBOUND in a school context focusing on substance use, risk perception, andknowledge about psychoactive substances ( n IG + CG = 723 students in five schools and46 classes, Mage = 14.8, range 14-18) for the total sample and in the subgroups gender,age, and school type. Main goal of the study is collecting evidence for programoptimization. A controlled study was carried out with repeated measurement before andafter the intervention (4-6 months). Multilevel analyses, ANCOVA, and logisticregression analyses were applied to measure the effects. Overall, significantly lowerincidence rates of drunkenness (odds ratio [OR] = .55; p = .033), improved knowledgeabout psychoactive substances (p = .006), lower personal (p = .013) and general tobaccorisk perception among users (p = .002), and lower general tobacco (p = .018) andcannabis (p = .000) risk perception in non-users were found in the total interventiongroup. In subgroups, significantly lower rates for the incidence of drunkenness can beshown for males (p = .008) and for younger participants (p = .004). Students at academichigh school (German Gymnasium) showed a decrease in 30-day prevalence for alcohol (p =.017) and cannabis (p = .014), and they improved in their knowledge about psychoactivesubstances (p = .000). In vocational high school classes (German Realschule), there wasan increase in the relative alcohol risk perception of the students (p = .019). REBOUNDcontributes to a controlled use of alcohol and increases knowledge about psychoactivesubstances. REBOUND has various effects on the examined subgroups age, gender, andschool type: Males, younger students, and students in academic high school benefittedmore from the course regarding consumption-related criteria. We suggest a programoptimization specific to school form and age, inclusion of a tobacco intervention, andthe use of more gender-segregated interventions