Predictor variables by developmental stages: a center for substance abuse prevention multisite study.

Five articles present the results obtained in a multisite study funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). The overarching goal of this effort was to determine the efficacy of reducing severity of factors during childhood that are known to magnify the risk for substance abuse (SA) in adolescence. The factors targeted for preventive intervention were Behavior Self-Regulation, Parental Involvement, School Bonding, and Social Competence. Conceptualizing SA within a developmental framework, the findings indicate that prevention directed at youth between 3-14 years of age has a significant positive impact on attenuating intermediary factors predisposing to SA. In this introduction, both the theoretical framework and rationale guiding this cooperative agreement and the key findings are described.