How can schools help to reduce the harm associated with teenage substance use?: Development of a theoretically-driven whole-school approach

Drugs and Alcohol Today,Volume 17, Issue 1, March 2017. Purpose Purpose Substance use prevalence varies considerably between schools, but to date, whole school approaches for reducing substance use have only been moderately effective. This paper develops a novel multifaceted whole school approach to reduce substance use primarily among teenagers aged 11-14 years. Design/methodology/approach Approach The outlined approach is premised on the proposal that schools can reduce the harms associated with substance use by promoting school connectedness and improving the school-related experiences of weakly connected and disconnected students. The aim of this approach is to develop students ’ autonomy so that they may act in their real and long-term interests. This may be attained by promoting the realisation of essential human capacities for 1) practical reasoning - through valued opportunities for cognitive development and 2) affiliation - through valued opportunities for affectiv e development that advance students sense of acceptance within school. Schools may achieve this, it is proposed, by providing outlined forms of appropriate formal support and formal control that are augmented by particular features of school organisation, curriculum and pedagogic practice, which ar e also described. Findings None Originality/value Value The outlined approach may usefully inform the development of future whole school interventions aiming to reduce pr...
Source: Drugs and Alcohol Today - Category: Addiction Source Type: research