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Evaluation of a preventive intervention for a self-selected subpopulation of children

  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Evaluated an experimental preventive intervention developed for children who perceived their parents as problem drinkers. The 8-session program was designed to improve children's coping, self-esteem, and social competence, and modify alcohol expectancies which were specified as mediators of the effects of parental alcohol abuse on child mental health. Participants were 271 self-selected 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students in 13 schools. The children were randomly assigned to treatment or delayed treatment conditions and the program was given to three successive cohorts of students. A meta-analysis across three different cohorts indicated significant program effects to improve knowledge of the program content and the use of support- and emotion-focused coping behaviors for the full sample. A slightly stronger range of effects was found for a high-risk subsample.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Arizona, USA

    Mark W. Roosa, Irwin N. Sandler, Sanford L. Braver & Jenn-Yun Tein

  2. Yale University, New Haven, USA

    Tim S. Ayers

  3. University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas, USA

    Leah K. Gensheimer

  4. Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 22030-4444, Fairfax, Virginia

    Jerome L. Short

Authors
  1. Jerome L. Short
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  2. Mark W. Roosa
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  7. Jenn-Yun Tein
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Additional information

This research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health Grant P50-MH39246 to support a Preventive Intervention Research Center and Prevention Training Grant T32-MH18387-02.

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Short, J.L., Roosa, M.W., Sandler, I.N. et al. Evaluation of a preventive intervention for a self-selected subpopulation of children. Am J Commun Psychol 23, 223–247 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02506937

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