| The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a comprehensive set of violence and substance abuse prevention programs on school safety outcomes. These programs were funded by a Center for Substance Abuse Prevention State Incentive Grant. The specific research questions addressed are: (1) Is there a differential effect of violence and substance abuse prevention programs on school safety?; (2) What is the joint effect of violence and substance abuse prevention programs on school safety?; and (3) What is the impact of science-based interventions relative to non-science based interventions on school safety? Self-report survey data were collected from students in the 6th,8th, 10th and 12th grades in over 200 schools from 1999 to 2002, and contained measures of risk and protective factors and indicators of substance use and school safety. Multivariate statistical procesures were used to assess the effect of violence prevention programs, substance abuse prevention programs, and their joint effect on school safety. Multivariate statistical procedures were used to assess the effect of violence prevention programs, substance abuse prevention programs, and their joint effect on school safety. Structural equation modeling was also used to determine whether risk and protective factors mediated intervention effects on safety outcomes. Preliminary results indicated mixed support for the effect of science-based interventions alone, and that risk and protective factors produced small but significant mediating effects. |
Updated 05/20/2006