Project Towards No Drug Abuse

Website

https://tnd.usc.edu/

Program Description

Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND) is a high school drug prevention program for youth who are at risk for drug use and violence-related conduct. Project TND focuses on three factors that can predict alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use: motivation, skills, and decision-making. The curriculum contains twelve 40-minute interactive sessions taught by teachers or health educators over three to six weeks.

Prevention Category

Universal
Selective

Practice Level

Individual

Strategies

Education

Practice Components

Level
Components
Individual
Cognitive Behavioral Strategies
Education
Motivational Enhancement
Pro-Social Connections and Activities
Psychoeducation
Self-Efficacy or Self-Esteem Enhancement
Skills Training
Relationship
None
Community/Society
None

Risk and Protective Factors

Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Individual Risk Factors
Conduct disorder
Early and persistent antisocial behavior
Early initiation of substance use
Negative emotional state
Poor coping skills and behaviors
Individual Protective Factors
High self-esteem
Personal engagement in two or more of the following: school, peers, athletics, employment, religion/spirituality, culture
Strong coping skills (e.g., problem-solving skills, ability to stand up for beliefs and values)
Family Risk Factors
Family management problems
Family Protective Factors
None
School, Peer, and Community Risk Factors
Low commitment to school
Peer aggression or violence
School, Peer, and Community Protective Factors
Opportunities for prosocial engagement in the school and community

Population Age

Age 6-12
Age 13-17
Age 18-20

Populations of Focus

Black or African American
General Population
Hispanic or Latino

Settings

School (K-12)

Parental/Caregiver Involvement

No parent or caregiver involvement

Substance Use Prevention Focus

Substance Use - General

Recommended Staffing

Community members
Prevention staff
Teachers or educators

Empirical Evidence of Impact

Substance Substance-Related Behavior Population Age Evidence Strength and Study Populations of Focus
Alcohol Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation 14-19 Moderate (General Population)1-7
Cannabis Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation 14-19 Practice-Based Evidence (General Population) 1-7
Illicit Drug Use Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation 14-19 Moderate (General Population)1-7
Tobacco Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation 14-19 Promising (General Population)1-7
References

1 Sun, W., Skara, S., Sun, P., Dent, C. W., & Sussman, S. (2006). Project Towards No Drug Abuse: Long-term substance use outcomes evaluation. Preventive Medicine, 42(3), 188–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.11.011

2 Sussman, S., Dent, C. W., Stacy, A. W., & Craig, S. (1998). One-Year Outcomes of Project Towards No Drug Abuse. Preventive Medicine, 27(4), 632–642. https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1998.0338

3 Dent, C. W., Sussman, S., & Stacy, A. W. (2001). Project Towards No Drug Abuse: Generalizability to a General High School Sample. Preventive Medicine, 32(6), 514–520. https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.2001.0834

4 Sussman, S., Sun, P., McCuller, W. J., & Dent, C. W. (2003). Project Towards No Drug Abuse: two-year outcomes of a trial that compares health educator delivery to self-instruction. Preventive Medicine, 37(2), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0091-7435(03)00108-7‌

5 Sussman, S., Dent, C. W., & Stacy, A. W. (2002). Project Towards No Drug Abuse: A Review of the Findings and Future Directions. American Journal of Health Behavior, 26(5), 354–365. https://doi.org/10.5993/ajhb.26.5.4

6 Sun, P., Sussman, S., Dent, C. W., & Rohrbach, L. A. (2008). One-year follow-up evaluation of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND-4). Preventive Medicine, 47(4), 438–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.07.003

7 Sussman, S., Sun, P., Rohrbach, L. A., & Spruijt-Metz, D. (2012). One-year outcomes of a drug abuse prevention program for older teens and emerging adults: Evaluating a motivational interviewing booster component. Health Psychology, 31(4), 476–485. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025756

Training and Technical Assistance

Training for Project TND is available both online and in-person, and is strongly recommended, but not required for implementation. In-person training costs between $1,200 and $2,100 plus the cost of the trainer’s travel expenses. Answers to questions and limited technical assistance are available free of charge, and the developer provides fidelity tools upon request.

Adaptations

Developers recommend delivering Project TND as intended, teaching the curriculum and utilizing the content and instructional techniques included in the teacher’s manual. However, they do not mandate how the program is used.

Program Costs

Please visit the developer’s website listed above for updated information about implementation costs.

What California Providers Are Saying

What They Like About Project Toward No Drug Abuse

  • Includes good role plays and videos that are updated and feel relevant for today’s youth.
  • The focus on social-emotional learning is beneficial.

 

Tips and Recommendations for Implementing Project Towards No Drug Abuse

  • There are more lessons than many other programs, so be sure to leave adequate time for implementation.

Labels

Universal,
Selective,

Individual,
Community/Society, community society, community-society,

Information dissemination,
Alternatives,

Cognitive Behavioral Strategies,
Education,
Motivational Enhancement,
Pro-Social Connections and Activities (prosocial adults, peers, organizations),
Psychoeducation,
Self-efficacy/self-esteem enhancement,
Skills Training,

Conduct disorder,
Early and persistent antisocial behavior,
Early initiation of substance use,
Negative emotional state,
Poor coping skills and behaviors,

High self-esteem,
Personal engagement in two or more of the following: school, peers, athletics, employment, religion/spirituality, culture,
Strong coping skills (e.g. problem-solving skills, ability to stand up for beliefs and values),

Family management problems,

Low commitment to school,
Peer aggression or violence,
Opportunities for prosocial engagement in the school and community,

Age 6-12, ages 6-12,
Age 13-17, ages 13-17,
Age 18-20, ages 18-20,

General Population,

No parent/caregiver involvement,

Substance Use - General, substance use-general, substance use general, general substance use,

School (K-12), k-12,

Community Members,
Prevention Staff,
Teachers/Educators, teachers educators,