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The Efficacy of Peer Leaders in Drug Abuse Prevention
Author(s) -
Klepp KnutInge,
Halper Andrew,
Perry Cheryl L.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1986.tb05783.x
Subject(s) - substance abuse , psychosocial , drug prevention , substance abuse prevention , peer influence , psychology , peer education , peer review , drug education , medical education , medicine , health education , nursing , psychiatry , political science , social psychology , public health , law
The results from school‐based, peer‐led psychosocial smoking prevention programs suggest that this approach is effective in reducing smoking onset rates. This paper provides a theoretical rationale for using peer leaders as a major strategy in school‐based drug abuse prevention programs and reviews the available literature assessing the impact of peer leadership in such programs. Furthermore, some of the practical issues involved in selecting and training peer leaders and teachers are discussed, and process evaluation data from studies conducted at the University of Minnesota are presented. The authors conclude that peer leadership can be an effective vehicle for drug abuse prevention among adolescents. However, increased research is necessary to clarify the conditions under which the impact of peer leaders is enhanced.