Adolescent substance abuse prevention programs: Theories, models, and research in the encouraging 80's.

The "vaccine" to prevent adolescents from using cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs has not yet been found. Much has been learned about which prevention effortsdo not work. However, in the past decade there are some encouraging findings about whatdoes seem to work. This paper reviews the theories of human behavior and personality development upon which substance abuse prevention strategies have been based, the program models derived from them, and the research literature of the 1980's reporting on the effectiveness of the major program models for preventing adolescent substance abuse. The authors also present unanswered questions about the most effective kinds of prevention programs for different populations.