Developing a Web-Based Intervention to Prevent Drug Use among Adolescent Girls

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Substance Abuse Prevention
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Adolescent girls' drug use rates are increasing, sometimes exceeding boys'.
• Girls face unique gender-specific risks for substance use, alongside common risk factors.
• Tailored interventions are crucial for preventing drug use among adolescent females.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and challenges of a gender-specific, web-based drug abuse prevention program for adolescent girls.
• To create an intervention addressing female adolescent-specific risk factors for drug use.
• To leverage web-based delivery for accessible and personalized prevention.

Main Methods:

• Development of RealTeen, a 9-session, web-based drug abuse prevention program.
• Program designed to target gender-specific risks: depressed mood, low self-esteem, perceived stress.
• Incorporation of general risk factors: peer and social influences.

Main Results:

• The paper details the processes and challenges encountered during development.
• Focus on programming a gender-specific, web-based intervention.
• Successful creation of a tailored digital tool for adolescent girls' drug use prevention.

Conclusions:

• Developing gender-specific digital interventions presents unique challenges.
• Web-based platforms offer a flexible and accessible approach to adolescent drug abuse prevention.
• The RealTeen program provides a model for tailored, evidence-based interventions for girls.