Effectiveness of student assistance programs in Nebraska schools

Background: This study investigated whether Nebraska schools with Student A ssistance Programs (SAP) are associated with reduced adolescent alcohol use and a higher level of academic achievement than students from schools with out a SAP. Methods: In 1992, the Toward a Drug Free Nebraska (TDFN) survey was administered to 3,454 students in grades seven to twelve at eighty-thre e Nebraska schools. A second survey, the TDFN "team activity report" collec ted from each school's team, the presence of a SAP (n = 34 schools) or abse nce of a SAP (n = 49 schools). Student responses for alcohol use and academ ic achievements were linked with the presence of a SAP through use of a sch ool identification number on both surveys. Results: Students from schools w ith a SAP reported a lower use of alcohol in the last thirty days, compared with students from schools without a SAP program (p < 0.05), and they also reported a significant difference in academic achievement (p < 0.05). Conc lusions: While this study used post hoc analysis of data, the results sugge st lower alcohol use and higher academic achievement among students from SA P schools. Given SAPs' popularity, these trends suggest that further resear ch should be conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of student assistan ce programs.