Connect for Prevention
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Overview
About Our Program
Preventing alcohol and other drug use is key to protecting young people from harm. Students who avoid using substances will perform better academically, have better mental health, and lower risk of injuries and accidents.
To address this issue, Cherokee Nation Behavioral Health collaborated with Emory University to develop the Connect Brief Intervention (CBI) to implement in high schools and Connect Kits for Family Action to use with families with children in grades 10 through graduation. This innovative program aims to curb the initiation and progression of alcohol and other drug use among teenagers.
To see how well these programs worked, the 20 Oklahoma schools were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the control group ( the control group received the programs after the testing period). All students in the class of 2024 had the opportunity to participate by completing surveys each semester. The surveys asked about alcohol use, drug use, mental health, and other important outcomes that the programs aimed to improve. After graduation, we compared outcomes between the two groups.
By high school graduation, the intervention group had...
lower alcohol use compared to the control group
lower cannabis use compared to the control group
lower prescription opioid use compared to the control group
Program Materials
Connect Brief Intervention
The CBI is to given to every student in a given school. This approach provides the best opportunity for every student to receive a dose of prevention, reinforcing students who are not using substances and minimizing the risk of any student feeling singled out or stigmatized.
Students engage in brief sessions using a tablet or computer. The program assesses life goals and risk for substance use, encourages reflection, reinforces positive choices, and assists with setting goals. When resources allow, students identified as being at a higher risk for substance use through the CBI have the option to meet privately and confidentially with a Connect Coach. These coaches are trained to assist students in setting healthy goals and, if necessary, link them to appropriate resources.
Download the CBI Implementation Guide
Connect Kits for Family Action
From 10th grade until graduation, families receive Connect Kits for Family Action several times per year. Kits aim to strengthen relationships and promote wellness via three key themes:
- Connection matters to teens
- Safe places matter to teens
- Communities matter to teens
Each kit includes tools, resources, and activities to help families foster stronger bonds, safe decision-making, and supportive environments.
Publications
- Adapting Opioid Misuse Prevention Programs During COVID-19: Implications for Increasing Access Post-Pandemic, RTI Press
- Adolescent Advertising Exposure to Cannabis Products in Rural Oklahoma via Medical Dispensaries, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
- Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms as Predictors of Substance Use Initiation Among Adolescents Living on and Near a Tribal Reservation in the Great Plains Region of the U.S., Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Culturally Responsive Opioid and Other Drug Prevention for American Indian/Alaska Native People: A Comparison of Reservation- and Urban-Based Approaches, Prevention Science
- Economic Evaluation Design Within the HEAL Prevention Cooperative, Prevention Science
- Including Community Partners in the Development and Adaptation of Intervention Strategies to Prevent Initiation or Escalation of Opioid Misuse, Prevention Science
- Leveraging the Full Continuum of Care to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder, Prevention Science
- Methodological Strategies for Prospective Harmonization of Studies: Application to 10 Distinct Outcomes Studies of Preventive Interventions Targeting Opioid Misuse, Prevention Science
- Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents Living in the Cherokee Nation, American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research
- School Racial Composition as a Moderator of the Effect of Discrimination on Mental Health and Substance use Among American Indian Adolescents, Journal of Adolescent Health
- Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Trial of a School, Family, and Community Intervention for Preventing Drug Misuse Among Older Adolescents in the Cherokee Nation, Trials
- Theory, Measurement, and Psychometric Properties of Risk and Protective Factors for Drug Misuse Among Adolescents Living on or Near the Cherokee Nation Reservation, Adversity and Resilience Science
- Tribal Identity, Pain Interference, and Substance Use Among American Indian and Alaska Native Adolescents, JAMA Pediatrics
Contact
Questions about Connect for Prevention?
Kelli Komro, PhD, Principal Investigator