THE MEDIATING INFLUENCE OF REFUSAL SKILLS IN PREVENTING ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL MISUSE

Alcohol is the most frequently used psycho-active substance during ado lescence. Adolescents who misuse or overindulge in alcohol are at risk for serious social and psychological consequences. Several preventive approaches can help adolescents deal with peer pressure that contribu tes to alcohol use experimentation and escalation. One promising appro ach involves teaching adolescents skills to refuse offers of alcohol a nd other drugs. Few studies, however, have examined how this approach works; that is, the connection between the prevention effort, refusal skills, and drinking behavior. This paper investigates the relationshi ps among the intervention, refusal skills, and alcohol misuse in the A lcohol Misuse Prevention Study, a randomized, pre/post experimental st udy. Based on data from sixth through tenth graders (average N per gra de = approximately 400), regression analyses indicate that refusal ski lls are significant mediators of the effect of the intervention on alc ohol misuse.