title: The Adults in the Making program: long-term protective stabilizing effects on alcohol use and substance use problems for rural African American emerging adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This report addresses the long-term efficacy of the Adults in the Making (AIM) prevention program on deterring the escalation of alcohol use and development of substance use problems, particularly among rural African American emerging adults confronting high levels of contextual risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  African American youths (M age, pretest = 17.7 years) were assigned randomly to the AIM (n = 174) or control (n = 173) group. Past 3-month alcohol use, past 6-month substance use problems, risk taking, and susceptibility cognitions were assessed at pretest and at 6.4, 16.6, and 27.5 months after pretest. Pretest assessments of parent-child conflict, affiliations with substance-using companions, and perceived racial discrimination were used to construct a contextual risk factor index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A protective stabilizing hypothesis was supported; the long-term efficacy of AIM in preventing escalation of alcohol use and substance use problems was greater for youths with higher pretest contextual risk scores. Consistent with a mediation-moderation hypothesis, AIM-induced reductions over time in risk taking and susceptibility cognitions were responsible for the AIM × contextual risk prevention effects on alcohol use and substance use problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training in developmentally appropriate protective parenting processes and self-regulatory skills during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood for rural African Americans may contribute to a self-sustaining decreased interest in alcohol use and a lower likelihood of developing substance use problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Family Development and Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30602-4527, USA. gbrody@uga.edu
authors.forename: Gene H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Brody
authors.forename: Tianyi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yi-fu
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D054521:Cultural Competency; D054541:Family Conflict; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011287:Prejudice; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*