Testing ALERT With GTO in Middle Schools

Primary outcomes

1. Student alcohol and drug behavior

   Time frame: Changes assessed for past year use at each follow-up point from baseline

   Alcohol and drug use will be assessed for alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, e-cigarettes, prescription opioids, and heroin (lifetime, past month, past year use), allowing us to evaluate program effects on ever, past month, and weekly use. We will assess marijuana and nicotine using items to capture nuanced products (e.g., JUUL/vape pens) and include combinations of marijuana/nicotine products to assess co-use, such as using a vaporizer to vape both nicotine e-liquid and cannabis oil. For alcohol, we will ask questions that allow us to construct 3 alcohol misuse scales: (1) alcohol-related consequences (sum of 5 dichotomous questions on: getting sick, getting in a physical fight, getting in trouble at school, getting in trouble at home, doing something he/she later regretted); (2) high-risk drinking (sum of 3 dichotomous variables: binge drinking in the past month, polydrug use of alcohol and marijuana in the past year, weekly drinking); and (3) overall misuse (sum of above 8 variables).

2. Student pro-substance use risk factors on consequences

   Time frame: Changes assessed for past year consequences of use at each follow-up point from baseline

   Beliefs about the short- and long-term consequences (positive and negative). Measures come from the Project ALERT survey posted on the Project ALERT website and utilized in the 4 prior RCTs of Project ALERT.

3. Student resistance self-efficacy

   Time frame: Changes assessed for past year self-efficacy use at each follow-up point from baseline

   Resistance self-efficacy from the Project ALERT survey measures avoiding use of all 6 drugs in risky situations. Measure is posted on the Project ALERT website and utilized in the 4 prior RCTs of Project ALERT.

4. Student pro-substance use risk factors on perceived norms

   Time frame: Changes assessed for past year perceived peer use at each follow-up point from baseline

   Normative beliefs about the prevalence of use and its acceptability to others, including peers and parents. Measures come from the Project ALERT survey posted on the Project ALERT website and utilized in the 4 prior RCTs of Project ALERT.

5. Student pro-substance use risk factors on expectancies

   Time frame: Changes assessed for past year use at each follow-up point from baseline

   Expectations of drug use in the next 6 months. Measures come from the Project ALERT survey posted on the Project ALERT website and utilized in the 4 prior RCTs of Project ALERT.