How can schools help to reduce the harms of youth substance use? Development of a theoretically-informed whole-school approach

Markham, W, Bonell, C, Fletcher, Adam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-7659 and Aveyard, P 2017. How can schools help to reduce the harms of youth substance use? Development of a theoretically-informed whole-school approach. Drugs and Alcohol Today 17 (1) , pp. 1-11. 10.1108/DAT-11-2016-0028

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Purpose Substance use prevalence varies considerably between schools, but to date, whole school approaches for reducing substance use have only been moderately effective. The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel multifaceted whole-school approach to reduce substance use primarily among teenagers aged 11-14 years. Design/methodology/approach The outlined approach is premised on the proposal that schools can reduce the harms associated with substance use by promoting school connectedness and improving the school-related experiences of weakly connected and disconnected students. The aim of this approach is to develop students’ autonomy so that they may act in their real and long-term interests. This may be attained by promoting the realisation of essential human capacities for: practical reasoning – through valued opportunities for cognitive development and affiliation – through valued opportunities for affective development that advance students sense of acceptance within school. Schools may achieve this, it is proposed, by providing outlined forms of appropriate formal support and formal control that are augmented by particular features of school organisation, curriculum and pedagogic practice, which are also described. Findings A theoretically driven understanding of a whole school approach for reducing teenage substance use is outlined. Originality/value The outlined approach may usefully inform the development of future whole school interventions aiming to reduce problematic substance use among school students. Additional potential benefits include more successful student life trajectories.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer) Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	L Education > LC Special aspects of education R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Date of Acceptance:	22 November 2016
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2022 11:14
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/101298

Citation Data

Cited 3 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item