Thesis
Moving beyond "Too smart to start!": disrupting the common-sense in substance use prevention programming
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101410
Abstract
Substance use prevention programming in the United States often employs a homogenous, choice-based approach that is targeted towards youth with little to none of their input. While studies show that experiencing trauma, such as sexual violence, heightens the chances an individual will utilize drugs or alcohol, violence is largely absent from discussions of substance use and addiction. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore how a substance use prevention committee operates in a small, rural town of the inland Northwest. A feminist poststructural framework informed the study and data analysis, leading to a critical focus on the gendered day-to-day interactions and behaviors of those in the community studied. Concluding findings were that the committee reflects dominant discursive practices of mainstream prevention programming in the U.S. Understandings include that substance use is a choice an individual makes; that a homogenous approach to programming and outreach is fair and equal for all residents; and that youth are not sources of knowledge and information. Recommendations and study implications include applying a feminist, trauma-informed approach to substance use prevention, including violence prevention work and peer education.
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Details
- Title
- Moving beyond "Too smart to start!"
- Creators
- Vanessa Nicole Miki Corwin
- Contributors
- Pamela Bettis (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525107601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis