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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Personal and social skills in adolescence are protective factors for the consumption of psychoactive
substances, namely alcohol and cannabis. We highlight the interventions designed to develop these skills,
including the promotion of its literacy. This study aimed to characterize the impact of personal and social
skills training on the levels of knowledge about the cannabis and alcohol's effect, based on the analysis of
myths associated with it, among adolescents from the central region of Portugal. This is an
action-research, with 172 participants (50.7% female), 14-18 years old (M=15.35 ± 1.02), 9th-11th grades
of schooling, between 2018-19 and 2021-22. Ethical and legal procedures required in research were
respected. Intervention consisted of 6 to 10 biweekly 60 minutes’ sessions (6 online, more expository, in
2020-21, due to the pandemic). An ad hoc questionnaire was used, with 5 statements about myths
associated with alcohol and 5 with cannabis consumption, on a Likert scale (1 Strongly Disagree; 5
Strongly Agree). A pre and posttest was carried out. Participants improved global scores on myths about
alcohol (M= 14.14 ± .4.15 vs. M= 14.98±2.84; p=.01) and cannabis (M= 17.18±2.68 vs. M= 18.03 ± 2.75
p=.037) consumption. Variables with influence on the results about alcohol were the pre or
post-pandemic period (p=.001), school attended (p=.001), and age (p=.001). As for cannabis, stood out
the pre or post pandemic period (p=.015), attended school (p=.012), and gender (p=.002). The
intervention contributed to improve participants' knowledge about alcohol and cannabis’ effects, which
may have impact on consumption reducing, to be explored later. There was also a regression in the
middle of the pandemic period (2020-21), regarding myths about alcohol consumption, whose effect was
canceled in 2021-22. In cannabis, significant positive results only happened in 2021-22. Age only stood
out in the myths about alcohol, with the most relevant effect at 14 years old. The females evolved
positively and significantly in their cannabis’ knowledge. So, the importance of the intervention is
confirmed, in myths about the effects of alcohol and cannabis consumption, which, if repeated in
follow-up evaluations, as well as crossed with consumption data, could reveal its effectiveness in early
intervention and prevention. Intensifying the intervention with younger people (in alcohol) and males
(in cannabis), and the option for 10 face-to-face sessions, more dynamic, seems to be relevant strategies.
However, it is also necessary to replicate the study, with more participants, and complement the
self-report data with objective measures.
Description
Keywords
Personal and social skills myths about alcohol myths about cannabis adolescents