Project DARE: no effects at 10-year follow-up.

The present study examined the impact of Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), a widespread drug-prevention program, 10 years after administration. A total of 1,002 individuals who in 6th grade had either received DARE or a standard drug-education curriculum, were reevaluated at age 20. Few differences were found between the 2 groups in terms of actual drug use, drug attitudes, or self-esteem, and in no case did the DARE group have a more successful outcome than the comparison group. Possible reasons why DARE remains so popular, despite the lack of documented efficacy, are offered.

[1]  T. Moffitt.  Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: a developmental taxonomy. , 1993, Psychological review.

[2]  Patrick M. O'Malley,et al.  National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1995. Volume II: College Students and Young Adults. , 1997 .

[3]  J A Stein,et al.  Long-Term Impact of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E , 1997, Evaluation review.

[4]  J. J. Haugaard,et al.  Prevention of child sexual abuse. Myth or reality. , 1989, The American psychologist.

[5]  William M. Grove,et al.  Normative comparisons in therapy outcome , 1988 .

[6]  L. Johnston.  National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1994. Volume 1, Secondary School Students and Volume II, College Students and Young Adults. , 1995 .

[7]  J. Block,et al.  Adolescent drug use and psychological health. A longitudinal inquiry. , 1990, The American psychologist.

[8]  J. Donnermeyer,et al.  Educators' Perceptions of the D.A.R.E. Program , 1997, Journal of drug education.

[9]  D. J. Lee.  Society and the Adolescent Self-Image , 1969 .

[10]  Jodie B. Ullman,et al.  Three-Year Follow-Up of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) , 1996, Evaluation review.

[11]  M. Rosenberg.  Society and the adolescent self-image , 1966 .

[12]  D. W. Wright,et al.  Truth and DARE: Tracking Drug Education to Graduation and as Symbolic Politics , 1994 .

[13]  W. B. Hansen,et al.  An Examination of Strategies for Gaining Convergent Validity in Natural Experiments , 1995 .

[14]  Deanna L. Wilkinson,et al.  Cops in the Classroom: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (Dare) , 1994 .

[15]  R. Clayton,et al.  The effectiveness of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (project DARE): 5-year follow-up results. , 1996, Preventive medicine.

[16]  Howard E. Sypher,et al.  Persuasive Communication and Drug Abuse Prevention , 1991 .

[17]  S. Hunt,et al.  The prevention of child sexual abuse. , 1990, Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987).

[18]  A. Kazdin,et al.  Criteria for evaluating psychotherapy. , 1978, Archives of general psychiatry.

[19]  S. Ennett,et al.  How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project DARE outcome evaluations. , 1994, American journal of public health.