Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 53 04 | LICHT GEDANKEN Drugs are harmful to the body and the psyche. Not to mention they are addic- tive. Many are only available from ille- gal sources. Relaying these facts is an important part of addiction prevention amongst pupils at schools. But the educational programmes often barely touch upon a decisive aspect: the actual cause for taking the drugs. Young people often become addicts be- cause they hope to improve their social status amongst friends with drugs or use them to try and deal with problems typical of their phase of life. This is precisely where the programme »IPSY—information and psychosocial competence«, which has been devel- oped and evaluated at the University of Jena as part of a research programme, comes in. By implementing the project in the classroom setting, teachers can boost the personality of their pupils and thus make them less susceptible to alcohol and the rest. Following a suc- cessful regional project in collabora- tion with the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Thuringia to circulate the pro- gramme across schools in Thuringia, the Jena psychologists are now work- ing to establish IPSY in schools across Germany. The TK has been sponsoring the project since March and is provid- ing around 750,000 euros over a four- year period. Prevention is more than just educa- tion —learning to say »no« »IPSY is one of the few evidence-based prevention programmes whose effect has been proven in long-term scientific studies«, says Thomas Holm, Head of Health Promotion in Living Environ- ments at the TK. »Now that we have received numerous positive responses from the model region of Thuringia, we are even more pleased with the appa­ rently successful correlation between research and practical prevention.« »Addiction prevention is often reduced to providing information about the dif- ferent kinds of drugs and the associat- ed health risks«, says Prof. Dr Karina Weichold. »But a programme like this can do a lot more. Teachers can give their pupils the tools that they need to simply say no to drugs and thus to go through life with a more stable perso­ nality.« According to Weichold, pupils should be happy and satisfied, should be able to navigate life successfully and should also learn that drugs will not help them along this path. Long-term study proves success— drug consumption considerably lower The school environment has a huge influence on children and youngsters. »That is why it was important for us that the teachers or social workers car- ried out the training themselves and thus influenced the personal develop- ment of their pupils«, says the scientist. The teachers work based on resources; in other words, they have to identify the strengths of their pupils and help them to consolidate these strengths. The success of this approach has not just been proven through feedback from the schools, but also through a long-term study. »Research shows that pupils who have taken part in the IPSY programme resort considerably less to alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs.« Karina Weichold believes that the suc- cess of the project is owed to the intense scientific development of the training and the good preparation of the teach- ers through training courses. Following on from its successful implementation in schools in Thuringia, psychologists from the University of Jena are now extending their addiction prevention programme for young people across Germany. Project part- ner Techniker Krankenkasse is supporting »IPSY« with around 750,000 euros over a four-year period. Prevention through strong personalities BY SEBASTIAN HOLLSTEIN »IPSY« project manager Prof. Dr Karina Weichold. Projects