Psycho-Social Strengthening Program for High-School Students: Targeting Female Students’ Attitudes Toward Drug Use

Abstract

<strong>Background:</strong> Adopting caring behaviors in adolescence is very important since alcohol and drug use among teenagers has become a pressing social problem and is also a predictor of school drop-out rates and academic failure. Research has shown that there is lack of awareness about drug and alcohol use. <strong>Objectives:</strong> The present study describes a psycho-social strengthening program aimed at changing female students' attitudes toward drug use. <strong>Patients and Methods:</strong> The research design involved an experimental group that participated in a pre-test and post-test, as well as a control group. The study population comprised female students in the first grade of high school in Tehran city during the educational year 2014 - 2015. Random cluster sampling was used to select 60 students in total. Mohammad Khani's (2006) risk and protective factors questionnaire (RAPQ) was used to collect the data. The treatment group participated in the united nations office on drugs and crime (UNDOC) “psycho-social strengthening program in the schools" package over eleven 90-minute sessions. Covariance analysis was used to analyze the data. <strong>Results:</strong> The significance of covariance F at the level of P < 0.05 showed that psycho-social strengthening is effective in changing female students' attitudes toward drug use. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Given the importance of caring about high-risk behaviors and the role of psycho-social strengthening in changing female students' attitudes toward drug use, it is better to carry out such interventions at an early age in school to ensure more preventative and sustainable effects.