stem future drug abuse, according to the developers.
RealTeen’s developers believe it was important to create a visually-appealing program that girls wanted to use and that helped improve mood and stress management, promoted positive body image and taught assertive communication. To encourage the use of the program even when there’s no new lesson to complete, the team added pages related to beauty, entertainment, polls, and quotes.
The program contained nine weekly sessions, 15-20 minutes each, and started with a skill-building lesson followed by interactive exercises and a quiz. Lessons focused on topics like goal-setting, puberty, coping strategies and knowledge about drugs.
Each session was guided by Alexis, an animated narrator. Developers were diligent in creating a narrator that seemed a few years older, cool and credible. Alexis had mass appeal but also exuded authority through assertive communication.
The team utilized social cognitive theory along with a resiliency framework to address female-specific risk factors for drug use. These forms of interventions are effective ways to teach adolescents to resist peer influences while delivering positive messages, they stated.
By providing this positive, structured program, young girls across the country can be reached regardless of race, location or social class. The creation of a program that can appeal to a large audience can be an important tool for girls to gain skills that prepare them for a drug-free future.
Researchers were focused on building a drug abuse prevention program that was effective not only in theory but in practice, and was able to “capture and maintain the attention of the audience.”
