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Program 2 aims to translate psychological research on peer influence process into the creation and evaluation of interventions to shape young adolescents' attitudes toward drug use. We know that there is a hierarchy of influence of power in peer social groups, and natural peer leaders possess power to affect the choices of their peers.
Program 2 works to characterize behavior styles that contribute to effective leadership within adolescent peer groups. In the service of this goal, Program 2 explores the characteristics of deviant leaders. Additionally, Program 2 examines racial and gender differences in susceptibility and resistance to deviant peer influence, the structure of substance abuse peer networks, and the stability of these peer networks over time.
An important goal of the research is to continue to develop novel empirical pilot studies that can be used to translate social and developmental research on effective substance use prevention and intervention among adolescents.
GOALS AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
(1) To characterize behavioral styles that contribute to effective leadership within adolescent peer groups. Special emphasis will be placed on how leadership styles of boys and girls may differ;
(2) To test the efficacy of a middle-school-based, peer leader intervention in affecting the drug-related attitudes and behaviors of the adolescent leaders and their peers in their natural groups through a randomized pilot trial; and
(3) To determine the mediating mechanisms of impact of these interventions and the moderating effects of gender and ethnicity.
PROJECTS
The study consists of two parts: 1) survey data collection at five timepoints with two cohorts (beginning in seventh grade); 2) one-time preventive intervention program for a group of students identified as leaders.
Survey collection study:
The survey includes peer sociometric and social cognitive map data, teacher ratings of individual students' social standing within the class, and self-report student data on a variety of dimensions including substance use, peer influence, aggression, sensation seeking, and leadership. The survey study began with a pilot survey in Spring 2004 and continued through Fall 2007.
Preventive Intervention Program: The Teens' Life Choices Project (TLC)
Program 2 implemented a novel peer leadership-based intervention to explore how leaders of 7th grade cliques can deliver an anti-drug message to their peers. Leaders were nominated by their peers when students completed the survey in Fall 2005. Sixteen group sessions took place across eight weeks from January-March 2006. Groups were facilitated by a Duke University staff member and a Duke University clinical psychology graduate student. Duke University undergraduate students participating in a Psychology/Public Policy course also assisted with the intervention. These students included leaders in the Duke University community such as athletes, student body leaders, artists, and musicians who assisted in presenting the goals of the evaluation.
Seventh grade student leaders participating in the intervention received information about promoting a healthy brain, the effects of drug use on the brain, and about peer pressure to use drugs. Participating students used this information to formulate persuasive messages to prevent 6th grade students from using substances. They built their persuasive messages into a multi-media format throughout the course of the eight-week intervention, and presented their messages to 6th graders during a school assembly at the end of the eight weeks.
Longitudinal data will be used to test the efficacy of the intervention program, as well as to determine the mediating mechanisms of impact of the intervention and the moderating effects of gender and ethnicity.
PEOPLE
Philip Costanzo, Ph.D. Principal Investigator, Professor
For additional information about Program 2, please contact Megan Golonka, Project Coordinator. mgolonka@duke.edu
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