A life skills intervention aimed at changing attitudes of Indian youth towards alcohol and drug abuse

Background:The misuse of ilicit drugs has become a very significant and challenging problem, worldwide. There has been significant increase in crime and violence across the world which may be associated with the illegal production and distribution of illicit drugs. According to a UN report, the number of people dependent on drugs in India is on the increase, indicating very difficult challenges ahead.

Aims: The present study explores the effectiveness of a life skills intervention to change the attitudes of youth towards alcohol and drug abuse, in the Punjab state of India.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design of research was used to conduct the study among a sample of 1000 first year college students from 6 randomly selected districts of Punjab, India. The scales used for measuring the attitudes of college students towards alcohol and drug abuse were developed for the purpose of this study.

Conclusions: The results of analysis of covariance revealed that life skills training had a significant effect on changing attitudes towards alcohol and drug abuse, among study participants. The findings from this study suggest that the introduction of appropriate life skills programs within institutes of higher education in India, could significantly improve the attitude of youngsters towards the misuse of illicit drugs. This may impact their behavior and reduce future misuse of illicit drugs.