Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12294

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Epstein JA, Botvin GJ.
Media resistance skills and drug skill refusal techniques: What is their relationship with alcohol use among inner-city adolescents?
Addict Behav 2007 Nov 13;
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VC9-4R466JS-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9dd08b6fee1f9c7d824bb52f36d0a52c

Abstract:

Past research related to alcohol advertising examined whether underage adolescents were targets of the alcohol industry and what impact such adverting had on adolescent drinking. The purpose of this study was to longitudinally examine the impact of media resistance skills on subsequent drinking among adolescents residing in inner-city regions of New York City. The study also tested whether drug skill refusal techniques (knowing how to say no to alcohol and other drugs) mediated the relationship between media resistance skills and adolescent drinking. A panel sample of baseline, one-year and two-year follow-ups (N=1318) from the control group of a longitudinal drug abuse prevention trial participated. A series of structural equations models showed that media resistance skills directly negatively predicted alcohol use 2 years later and that drug skill refusal techniques mediated this effect. Baseline media resistance skills were associated with one-year drug skill refusal techniques, which in turn negatively predicted two-year alcohol use. These findings provided empirical support for including media resistance skills and drug skill refusal techniques in alcohol prevention programs.