Preventing Alcohol and Substance Use in Adolescents, Research Proposal Example

Assessment of the Problem

Background

For this population, the adolescents in the greater Hartford area were chosen because the drug and alcohol abuse in this area is rampant and most youths are addicted to these drugs. A survey conducted in 2014 revealed that 18 % of adolescents between the ages of 12-17 in Connecticut took alcohol and were ranked the highest state in regards to substance abuse in the country (Busemeyer, 2014). Another survey conducted on high school students in grades 9-11 showed that 16% drank alcohol before the age of 13 (Office of Adolescent Health, n.d.).

The researchers conducting this project are affiliated with the detox unit for their psychiatric rotation and have experienced the negative impacts that substance abuse has on the lives of people. Alcohol and substance abuse have led to the lost contacts between friends and families as well as loss of jobs. Some of the drug addicts have gone into prostitution to continue financing their drug needs (TOAH, 2016).  Whenever these patients are brought into the detox unit, they normally want to get rid of the addiction but they face a myriad of issues that may make getting clean a hard thing to achieve. Many of them have been known to relapse back into the drugs. At the beginning of the project, the plan was to focus on reducing the chances of a drug addict facing a relapse but this section was found to have many projects allocated to it already. After a careful review of the  information given by the informants, the researchers discovered a pattern that most of the patients on the detox program got addicted from a very young age with some from the age of 12. A survey done in 2007-2008 placed Connecticut in the top ten states whose young adults shows that18-24 years, are dependent on illicit drugs (Busemeyer, 2014). After reviewing more research, the researchers then decided that prevention from abuse of drugs during adolescence would be a more beneficial intervention rather than supporting recovery, which has high rates of relapse. Relapse prevention has many resources dedicated to it, whereas there are fewer resources dedicated to preventing substance use.

Problem Prioritization

After the data was analyzed, some of the problems facing the young populations were analyzed. The major problems included the introduction to drugs at a very young age, peer pressure, high levels of poverty, ineffective coping styles and lack of support. The two major problems of the group included the introduction of the drugs at a very young age as well as the lack of proper support systems.  The other two issues that seemed equally important included pressure from peer and improper coping mechanisms (Busemeyer, 2014).  For this paper, we will focus on the issue of introduction of drugs at an early age and address the issue of lack of support and improper coping mechanisms.

In the survey, the researchers asked the key informants what they thought could have prevented them from substance use. They all had similar answers, saying they thought that if they had more support as children, they probably would not have engaged in drug use. Before interviewing the key informants, the researchers had some initial concerns, which were in correlation with the data collected. Each problem that was tied to the findings was almost a proof of the hypothesis laid down.

Nursing Diagnosis

After reviewing information gathered from the surveys, finding common themes and prioritizing problems, two nursing diagnoses were developed for adolescents at risk for substance abuse. The first is the risk of ineffective coping related to negative role modeling and inadequate support systems. The second is the risk for knowledge deficit related to lack of information and/or information misinterpretation.

Intervention Plan

The public health nursing intervention that we propose for this project is evidence based in nursing as a tool for responding to the healthcare needs of the youths. In this regard, there will be a system of research into the determinants of health with regards to substance use, where patients that are diagnosed with the problem will be put on a drug cessation program.  The youth were introduced to the drugs at a very young age. During the adolescent periods, the youth are faced with a myriad of issues and therefore, they need to be handled with a lot of care. At this stage, they are experiencing major changes in their bodies and hormones. Some of them have been known to suffer from identity issues. It is at this stage that they become extremely vulnerable to improper influence and some of them may turn to drugs as a way of coping with the changes that occur in the bodies. Therefore, it is important that they are allocated someone they can freely talk to and explain their fears. In this way, they will be able to overcome any temptations to turn to drugs for comfort and understanding.

This is aimed at reaching out to the youth before they turn to drugs. Parents, as well as teachers, have the responsibility of teaching about the dangers of drugs and being responsible for the children in their care. If the influences are at home, then the children ought to be removed from such influences for them to have a better future. Among the human-centered practices, there will be a system of increasing the proclivity of the adolescents in responding to the needs of their own health. There will be a program for engaging the youth to participate in other activities other than partaking in drugs. For instance, there will be a program to ensure that the youth take part in various activities to take their minds off destructive behavior. It will also be important that they receive guidance and counseling from the adults who are closest to them.

Another way of preventing drug addiction among the youth would be to engage them in activities that keep them busy and prevent them from taking drugs. For instance, the community can allocate different activities to be done by the youth. This would enable them to learn to be responsible and avoid anything that would cause harm to their bodies. These activities could be aimed at instilling responsibility and discipline among the youth. There should be a reward system for the youth who have done the best. This would encourage them to take up more activities and encourage more and more of them to participate in the community activities. Some of the community activities include cleaning activities, tutoring, taking care of the aged, babysitting jobs and even cleaning up jobs. There should be incentives to encourage them to take part in these activities.

Evaluation and Sustainability

The project is sustainable as it defines a problem of the future for the society. Since there are emergent drug dependencies, it is evident that this project will help the society in resolving the social, economic, and psychological problems accrued from substance use among the teenagers. In determining the effectiveness of the project, there will be a system of evaluation of the outcomes from the respondents via email, phone conversations, and private or public meetings (Connecticut’s Official State Website, n.d.). This implies that there would be a forum for engagement of the respondents in the articulation of the workability of the proposals set forth. Consequently, there are major benefits that the community has benefited from this project. Some of these benefits include increasing the proclivity of the society in the management of the problem of substance use and the economic relieve from the medical costs that are drug abuse related. The society is also economically endowed from the productivity of the rehabilitated youths, who could have died at a young age from the scourge resulting from excessive use of drugs.

Evaluation of these practices would include investigating the number of youth addicted to drugs. The aim of the programs would be to recruit as many youths as possible. Therefore, if the number of youth addicted to drugs has reduced then the program would be considered successful. The more youth engaged in the program the better it is in terms of drug abuse reduction. The community would not only benefit from fewer drugs circulating in the area, it would also benefit economically as the youth take part in activities that the community would otherwise pay people a lot to do. The end result would be less and less youth addicted to drugs.

References

Connecticut’s Official State Website. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://portal.ct.gov/governor/substance-abuse/

whitehouse.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state_profile_-_connecticut.pdf

Busemeyer, S. (2014, September 15). Survey: Connecticut Tops Nation In Youth Alcohol Use. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.courant.com/data-desk/hc-connecticut-tops-nation-in-youth-alcohol-use-20140915-htmlstory.html

The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (TOAH). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/substance-abuse/states/ct.html