Effects of a School-Based Drug Abuse Prevention Program for Adolescents on HIV Risk Behavior in Young Adulthood

Abstract

Early onset of substance use among adolescents has been found to be associated with later
risky sexual behaviors. This study examined long-term follow-up data from a large randomized
school-based drug prevention trial to (1) investigate the long-term impact of the prevention
program on drug use and sexual behaviors that put one at elevated risk for HIV
infection; and (2) use growth modeling procedures to examine potential mechanisms of in-
tervention effects. Self-report survey data were collected from students in the 7th grade, prior
to the intervention in 1985, and in grades 8, 9, 10, and 12. Participants in the intervention condition
received a 30-session drug prevention program in 7th through 9th grades. Follow-up
surveys were completed by 2042 young adults (mean age = 24) in 1998. As young adults,
participants were considered to be engaging in high-risk behavior for HIV infection if they
reported having multiple sex partners, having intercourse when drunk or very high, and recent
high-risk substance use. The intervention had a direct protective effect on HIV risk behavior
in the overall sample in young adulthood. Furthermore, among participants receiving
60% or more of the prevention program, analyses showed that the intervention significantly
reduced growth in alcohol and marijuana intoxication over the course of adolescence, which
in turn was associated with a reduction in later HIV risk behavior. The behavioral effects of
competence-enhancement drug prevention programs can extend to risk behaviors including
those that put one at risk for HIV infection.