Substance Use, Resistance Skills, Decision Making, and Refusal Efficacy Among Mexican and Mexican American Preadolescents

Abstract

This article examines the relationships among resistance skills, refusal efficacy, decision-making skills, and substance use for a sample of Mexican and Mexican American 5th grade students who were attending public schools in Phoenix, Arizona. An analysis of self-report questionnaire data indicated that the likelihood that male students reported ever having used one or more substances increased as they reported a greater willingness to use passive decision-making (e.g., going along) and decreased as they reported greater refusal efficacy and a greater willingness to utilize active decision making (e.g., thoughtful processing). No significant relationships emerged between the 4 predictors and lifetime substance use among the girls. These findings support the role of social skills in substance use prevention, shed light on an understudied group, and suggest the importance of continuing to examine gender differences in skills-based interventions.

Examining the Protective Effects of Brand Equity in thekeepin' it REALSubstance Use Prevention Curriculum

“…This study utilized a cross-sectional, self-report data from a larger intervention evaluation study (Hecht et al, 2008). Data were collected from 709 8 th grade students in 23 middle schools in Phoenix, Arizona where keepin’ it REAL curriculum was implemented during the 2007–2008 school year (September through May).…”

“…This variable was assessed with 5 items measured on a 4-point scale ranging from 1 (definitely) to 4 (definitely not) (Hecht et al, 2008). The common stem consisted of “ If your friend offered you a beer at a party, would you… ” The stem was completed with “ …say ‘No’ without giving a reason why?…”

“…Hecht and colleagues argue that preadolescents’ refusal efficacy and resistance skills significantly affect their substance use intentions and behaviors (Hecht, Warren, Wagstaff, & Elek, 2008). Adolescents who believe that they can enact behaviors related to refusing substances and that those behaviors will lead them to their goal (refusal efficacy) and who demonstrate knowledge of skills to enact those behaviors (resistance skills) are less likely to use substances (Conrad, Flay, & Hill, 1992; Levin & Hart, 2003; Morrongiello & Dawber, 2004).…”

Immigrant family skills-building to prevent tobacco use in Latino youth: study protocol for a community-based participatory randomized controlled trial

“…These questions are: ‘Do you think you will try a cigarette soon?’ (not asked of puffers), ‘Do you think you will be smoking cigarettes one year from now?’, and ‘If one of your best friends were to offer you a cigarette, would you smoke it?’ A never-smoker will be considered nonsusceptible if the answer to the first question is ‘no’ and answers to the both the second and third questions are ‘definitely not’; a puffer will be considered nonsusceptible if answers to the second and third questions are ‘definitely not’. Additional outcomes of alcohol, marijuana and other substance intentions, and past 30-day use of all substances will be assessed through items previously used with middle-school-aged Latino youth [37,38]. Secondary outcomes include parenting practice and parent–youth interpersonal relational measures that are known to be important predictors of substance use among youth.…”