Research

Nine studies reviewed by the WWC investigated the effects of Skills for Adolescence. One study (Eisen, Zellman, & Murray, 2003) was a randomized controlled trial that met WWC evidence standards. The remaining 8 studies did not meet WWC evidence screens. The Eisen, Zellman, and Murray (2003) study focused on Skills for Adolescence implemented as a schoolwide intervention.

Eisen, Zellman, and Murray (2003) investigated program effects on students in seventh grade and again on the same students in eighth grade. The study included 34 middle schools pair-matched and randomly assigned to study conditions from within pairs. The schools were located in three large metropolitan areas in Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; and the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. This study compared behavioral outcomes for students participating in the Skills for Adolescence program with outcomes for students who participated in other drug education and prevention practices (ranging from school assemblies to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE, program) common for these grade levels.