Effect of selective and family-based prevention on addiction susceptibility, affiliation with deviant peers, risk-taking, and risk and protective factors of substance use in high-risk adolescents: A randomized clinical trial.

Abstract

Background: Adolescents with a background in families affected by substance use exhibit an increased susceptibility to developing individual substance-related or other mental disorders. Consequently, they represent a crucial demographic for targeted preventive interventions. The current study examined the impact of selective prevention (SP) and family-based prevention (F-BP) measures on addiction susceptibility, affiliation with deviant peers (ADP), risk-taking, and risk and protective factors (RPFs) related to substance use among high-risk adolescents.

Materials and methods: The study employed an experimental design incorporating pretest, posttest, and 6-month follow-up. A sample of 60 adolescents, meeting the study criteria, was selected and assigned to two intervention groups and one control group using a simple randomization method (with 20 individuals in each group). Measures encompassed the Risk and Protective Factors Inventory (RAPI), Addiction Susceptibility Questionnaire-Adolescents Version (ASQ-AV), Adolescent Affiliation with Deviant Peers Scale (AADPS), and Iranian Adolescents Risk-taking Scale (IARS). The data were analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 software.

Results: The results revealed significant differences only between the SP and F-BP groups in the variables of adolescent risk-taking and addiction susceptibility. However, for the other study variables, no significant differences were observed between the SP and F-BP groups. Furthermore, notable differences were identified between the control group and F-BP, as well as between the control group and SP, across all study variables (P value < 0.05).

Conclusions: The outcomes of our investigation reinforce the importance of adopting multifaceted approaches in substance abuse prevention, emphasizing the need to target various aspects of individuals' lives. Regarding data generalization, it is noteworthy that the sample comprised adolescents predominantly from middle- or low-income groups, suggesting caution in extending findings to the entire adolescent population. Finally, we recommend that future studies assess interventions that involve both adolescents and parents in sessions.