Selective Prevention Of Drug Abuse

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The one of mission of universal prevention program is to deter the onset of drug abuse by providing all individuals in a population with the information and skills necessary to prevent the problem. All members of the population share the same general risk for drug abuse, although the risk may vary greatly among individuals. Universal prevention programs are delivered to large groups without any prior screening for drug abuse risk status of the individual program recipients. The entire population is assumed at-risk for substance abuse. For example substance abuse education in schools, media and public awareness. (Red Ribbon Week, Alcohol Awareness Month)
Selective prevention targets specific subgroups of the population that are believed to be at greater risk than others. Age, gender, family history, place of residence (i.e., high drug use, or low-income neighborhoods) and victimization, or physical and/or sexual abuse may define the targeted subgroups. Selective prevention targets the entire subgroup regardless of the degree of risk of any individual within the group. One individual in the subgroup may not be at personal risk for substance abuse, whereas another individual in the same subgroup may be abusing substances. The selective prevention program is presented to the entire subgroup because the subgroup as a whole is at higher risk for substance abuse than the general population. An individual’s personal risk is not specifically assessed or identified and is based solely on a presumption given in his or her membership in the at-risk subgroup.
For instance skills training for groups affected by environmental influences like high crime rate, unemployment and community disorganization.
Indicated prevention approaches are...

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• Indicated prevention strategies require a precise assessment of an individual’s personal risk and level of related problem behaviors, rather than relying on the person’s membership in an at-risk group as in the selected approach.
• Programs are frequently extensive and highly intensive; they typically operate for longer periods of time, at a greater frequency of contact and require greater effort on the part of participants than do selective or universal programs.
• Programs require highly skilled staff who have clinical training, counseling and other skills. In the field of substance abuse, an indicated prevention intervention would be a substance abuse program for high school students who are experiencing a number of problem behaviors, including truancy, failing academic grades, juvenile depression, suicidal ideation, and early signs of substance abuse.

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