Prevention of Adolescent Reoccurring Violence and Alcohol Abuse

A Multiple Site Evaluation

Bibliographic Data

ID12787253
AuthorsJohn S Wodarski (Knoxville College, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume7
Issue4
Pages280-301
Publication date2010-08-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Evidence-Based Social Work (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1543-3714 • E-ISSN: 1543-3722
PublisherHaworth Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1080/15433710903176112
PMID20799128
OpenAlexW2043014813
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited42

Prevention of Adolescent Reoccurring Violence and Alcohol Abuse: A Multiple Site Evaluation" is a multiple component alcohol abuse and violent behavior prevention strategy, targeted to adolescents ages 16-21 who have high levels of anger, or who are victims/perpetrators of violence, and their families. Three community centers located in upstate New York provided group participants (N = 210) known to have conduct disorder and substance abuse history. The centers were used as the intervention sites over a seven-week period with the youth assessment staff using objective screening measures. The participants were exposed to a two-pronged intervention, using a parental involvement cohort with approximately half of the study participants. The Teams, Games, and Tournaments strategy was the intervention method. Teams, Games, and Tournaments is a Social Learning Theory-based intervention with demonstrated empirical evidence of the model's effectiveness. A 2 x 3 factorial design with two follow-up points encompassed: anger control, alcohol/substance abuse, and family interactive education. The goals of the study were to help adolescents reduce their alcohol use, to increase productive family interaction, and ultimately to reduce the adolescents' aggression levels and subsequently reduce the possibility of their becoming victims or perpetrators of a violent crime. Consistent with Social Learning Theory, the Teams, Games, and Tournaments treatment intervention makes use of adolescents as peer counselors. The practical implications include that professionals or students in our public schools, juvenile courts, correctional institutions, and residential treatment centers can easily implement this program. A standardized treatment manual is available. It offers a complete, ready-to-use, and cost-effective tool for reducing adolescent violence and alcohol abuse. Further, the data provide support for a hypothesis of social learning theory, that is: interventions using multiple components are more effective than single treatments on their own

Aggression · Alcohol abuse · Anger · Environmental health · Intervention (counseling · Poison control · Psychiatry · Substance abuse · Suicide prevention · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Community Health and Development · Medicine · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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