The Effects of a Drug Abuse Prevention Program on Early Adolescents

Abstract

Substance use in schools, particularly among early adolescents, is an escalating issue with adverse consequences for individuals, families, society, and the nation. This quasi-experimental study, using a one-group pretest-posttest design, aimed to evaluate the effects of a drug abuse prevention program on early adolescents. The sample consisted of 109 lower secondary school students selected through a multi-stage random sampling method. Research instruments included a drug abuse prevention program and drug prevention knowledge test, refusal skills, and life skills. The tools were validated by three experts with IOC = 0.67-1, and their reliability was tested with KR-20, yielding a score of 0.68 and producing Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.72 and 0.78, respectively. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-tests were used for data analysis.

Results: The assessments revealed significant improvements in drug prevention knowledge scores post-intervention (Mean = 10.08, S.D. = 1.17) compared to pre-intervention (Mean = 8.95, S.D. = 1.56) at p < .01 (t = 6.03, p < .001). Refusal skills scores also increased significantly post-intervention (Mean = 11.88, S.D. = 1.37) versus pre-intervention (Mean = 10.05, S.D. = 1.30) at p < .01 (t = 14.96, p < .001). However, life skills scores showed no significant improvement post-intervention. The findings demonstrate the program's potential for enhancing knowledge and refusal skills, though improvements in life skills development are needed. Implementation in schools is recommended, with expansion to other grade levels and the development of experiential learning activities to ensure sustainable drug prevention outcomes among early adolescents.