A retrospective study of the drug abuse resistance education (D.A.R.E.) program: Do peers and family matter?

• In Event: Drugs in the Modern Time (Sponsored by KOSCA)

Abstract

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is a school-based drug prevention program that has been widely implemented in the United States since 1983. Although there seems to be great support for this program, research examining its effectiveness has shown a small effect on psychosocial behavior or no significant long-term effect on drug use. Among these empirical studies, however, none of them addressed social processes though to be related to outcome measures. Given this gap in the literature, the current study aims to examine the impact of the D.A.R.E. program using two mediators, peer influence and parental attachment, drawn from social learning and social control theory. Survey data are collected from college students, and structural equation modeling is used for the analysis. Based on the results from this study, policy and research implications are discussed, with an emphasis on drug prevention and future directions for drug research.

Authors

• Danee Lee, University of Cincinnati

• Hyunjung Cheon, University of Texas at El Paso