Dan Romer, director of APPC’s Adolescent Health and Communication Institutes, reviews the evidence on ways to prevent drug abuse in middle and high school youth, focusing on mandatory random drug testing. Since the 1990s, interest has been growing in the use of such tests to deter drug use among teenagers. The review finds that mandatory
Health
Research on the long-term effects of a media intervention on adolescent sexual behavior released in AJPH
Research conducted at APPC by Michael Hennessy, Ph.D., and Daniel Romer, Ph.D., among other project sites, was released in the January 2013 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. “Safer Sex Media Messages and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: 3-Year Follow-Up Results From Project iMPPACS” abstract: Objectives. We estimated the long-term (36-month) effects of Project iMPPACS, a
As the national adult suicide rate increases, news stories about suicides during the holidays grow in number
A common misperception about the end of year holidays is that more people commit suicide during this period than at other times in the year. Since 2000, the Annenberg Public Policy Center has been tracking press reporting about this widespread belief. In the millennium year of 1999, APPC identified over 60 stories that ran during
Weakness in working memory predicts progression of alcohol use in early adolescents
Research points to the potential for prevention Weakness in a cognitive skill called "working memory" predicts both the initiation and the escalation of alcohol use in adolescents ages 10 to 15, according to a longitudinal study by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of
Use of effective coping strategies is associated with reduced suicidal ideation among both male and female youth
But males are more successful in reducing stress than females In a study recently published in Prevention Science, researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that youth who naturally use effective coping strategies to deal with interpersonal stressors (such as bullying) experience lower levels of perceived stress, feelings of
APPC and Ohio State researchers help understand the influence of maternal sexual communication on adolescent risky sexual behaviors
When mothers engage in frequent sexual discussions with their teenagers but fail to express clear disapproval of teenagers’ sexual involvement, their efforts are more likely to result in greater risky sexual involvement by their teen, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study was conducted by Atika Khurana, postdoctoral
Annenberg Research Helps Explain Early Sexual Initiation in Adolescents
Findings point to lack of self-control but not sensation seeking Cognitive training could reduce the risk FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: 6 March 2012 CONTACT: Dan Romer, 215-898-6776 (office); 610-202-7315 (cell) In a study published in Developmental Psychology, researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have identified two components