Validation of the European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial Questionnaire (EU-Dap) for substance use screening and to assess risk and protective factors among early adolescents in Chile

Acceptability, feasibility and fidelity of the culturally adapted version of Unplugged ("Yo Se Lo Que Quiero"), a substance use preventive program among adolescents in Chile: a pilot randomized controlled study

INTRODUCTION

The consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis is a public health problem that impacts the cognitive, social, and emotional development of adolescents. Prevention strategies such as the "Unplugged" program are effective in delaying the progression of daily smoking and episodes of drunkenness among adolescents. "Yo Se Lo Que Quiero" (YSLQQ) corresponds to the adaptation of this program to the Chilean context. This study assesses the acceptability and feasibility of implementing this program to the local reality.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a cluster-randomized controlled pilot study conducted on six public schools. All consented students attending 6th, 7th, and 8th grades (n = 1,180) participated in the study. The schools were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in a 1:1 ratio: (1) the "YSLQQ" intervention group (n = 526), and (2) the Control group (n = 654). The program consisted of a 12-hour class-based curriculum based on a comprehensive social-influence approach delivered by a trained facilitator. The acceptability and feasibility were assessed in the intervention group at the end of the intervention using questionnaires answered by students and facilitators. The quality and fidelity of the program were evaluated during the implementation using self-ported surveys answered by the facilitators and the assessment of video-recorded sessions rated by external observers. Finally, a pre-test and a post-test survey assessing past and current substance use and risk and protective factors were conducted before and immediately after the program's implementation.

RESULTS

A high proportion of students (49.6%) liked the sessions. 79.2% reported that the YSLQQ helped them learn about the dangers of substances, while 65.8% reported having more skills to avoid substance use in the future. Regarding students' satisfaction with YSLQQ, 62.9% reported being happy or very happy with the program. Facilitators reported implementing the intervention according to the manual in 73.9% of sessions. Regarding substance use, students who participated in the intervention groups reported a significant reduction in drunkenness in the last year and last 30-day prevalence and also a significant reduction in a lifetime and 30-day prevalence of cannabis use when compared with those students in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that YSLQQ has adequate acceptability and feasibility to be implemented in the Chilean context, and there were promising results in reducing drunkenness and cannabis use. Future research should confirm these results in a larger RCT study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04566627; registration date: 01/03/2019.

The Social Competence Promotion Program among Young Adolescents (SCPP-YA) in Chile ("Mi Mejor Plan") for substance use prevention among early adolescents: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Substance use is highly prevalent among children and adolescents in Chile, and it is known how it impacts their health and social adjustment. The call for effective prevention of substance use among children adolescents has resulted in numerous school-based programs, and particularly, the Social Competence Promotion Program among Young Adolescents (SCPP-YA) has been proved to be successful for promoting social and problem-solving skills in addition to preventing substance abuse in the US population. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of the Social Competence Promotion Program among Young Adolescents (SCPP-YA) in Chile ("Mi Mejor Plan").

METHODS

This is a cluster randomized controlled trial, parallel-group type, where "Mi Mejor Plan" is compared to standard school preventive curricula in control schools. A total of 10 schools and 600 adolescents are expected to be recruited and randomized with 1:1 allocation. During formative work, the SCPP-YA program was culturally adapted to Chile. The effectiveness of this program will be assessed using the European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial Questionnaire (EU-Dap), measuring substance use prevalence and risk and protective factors in baseline, post-intervention, and 4 months after the end of the intervention.

DISCUSSION

The proposed study will be the first to test the effectiveness of the Social Competence Promotion Program among Young Adolescents (SCPP-YA) in Chile in a cluster randomized control trial and also the first study evaluating this program in Spanish-speaking Latin America. SCPP-YA has been implemented successfully in the USA. Thus, if the effects of the program are positive, wide implementation in Chile and Latin American countries is possible soon.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials NCT04236947 . Registered on January 22, 2020.