Initiative Description: A social network tailored substance abuse prevention program. TND focuses on motivation, skills and decision making. Although TND addresses the social environment, it devotes only minimal attention to re-norming and does not instruct refusal skill training. The TND curriculum was modified to increase the number of group activities and to create small groups (three to five students) composed of their own social network members. In addition, each group was led by a peer leader chosen by their peers.

Study Results: For students with a peer environment that supports non‐use, the program was effective and reduced substance use. For students with a peer environment that supports substance use, an interactive program may have deleterious effects.

Reference: Valente, T. W., Ritt-Olson, A., Stacy, A., Unger, J. B., Okamoto, J., & Sussman, S. (2007). Peer acceleration: effects of a social network tailored substance abuse prevention program among high-risk adolescents. Addiction, 102(11), 1804–1815. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01992.

Level of Evidence: Very Good