Elsevier

Addictive Behaviors

Volume 19, Issue 2, March–April 1994, Pages 113-125
Addictive Behaviors

Long-term evaluation of drug abuse resistance education

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(94)90036-1Get rights and content

Abstract

Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is the most prevalent school-based drug-use prevention program in the United States, but there is little evidence of its effectiveness. Results from a longitudinal evaluation of the program in 36 schools in Illinois provide only limited support for DARE's impact on student's drug use immediately following the intervention, and no support for either continued or emerging impact on drug use 1 or 2 years after receiving DARE instruction. In addition, DARE had only limited positive effects on psychological variables (i.e., self-esteem) and no effect on social variables (e.g., peer resistance skills). Possible substantive and methodological explanations for the relative lack of DARE's effectiveness observed in this study are discussed.

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    This research was supported by Grant R01 DA07037-01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and by a grant from the Illinois State Police.

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