Castellanos, N., & Conrod, P. (2006). Brief interventions targeting personality risk factors for adolescent substance misuse reduce depression, panic and risk-taking behaviours. Journal of Mental Health, 15(6), 645–658. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638230600998912

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 423

Population:

• Age — 13–16 years (Mean=14 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — 40% White European, 20% Mixed and Other, 18% Black African, 14% Black Caribbean, 6% South Asian, and 2% East Asian
• Gender — 64% Female
• Status — Participants were students in Grades 9 to 11.

Location/Institution: Twelve secondary schools in London

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which a personality-targeted cognitive-behavioral intervention [now called PreVenture®] can prevent the onset or reduce relevant psychological problems in youth. Participants were randomly assigned to either a personality-matched cognitive-behavioral intervention [which targeted four personality risk factors: negative thinking (NT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), impulsivity (IMP), and sensation seeking (SS)] or to a no-intervention control. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the revised Panic Attack Questionnaire (PAQ-R), the seven-item Depression Subscale from the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Reckless Behaviour Questionnaire (RBQ). Results indicate that there was a moderate effect of the personality-matched cognitive-behavioral (NT) intervention on depression scores, and a similar effect of the personality-matched cognitive-behavioral (AS) intervention on panic attack and truancy (i.e., school avoidance). A small but significant intervention effect was found for shoplifting for the entire sample, as well as a moderate intervention effect on this outcome for the personality-matched cognitive-behavioral IMP intervention group. Limitations include that the study did not examine the efficacy of the personality-targeted approach using a placebo-controlled design, a lack of information about some of the measures psychometrics, a lack of inclusion of tools to assess clinical outcomes in the study, and reliance on self-reported measures.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

Conrod, P. J., Stewart, S. H., Comeau, N., & Maclean, A. M. (2006). Efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions targeting personality risk factors for youth alcohol misuse. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35(4), 550–563. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3504_6

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 297

Population:

• Age — 14–17 years (Mean=16 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 56% Female
• Status — Participants were students in Grades 9 to 12.

Location/Institution: Nine high schools (four from rural Nova Scotia and five from urban British Columbia)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the effect of a personality-targeted intervention [now called PreVenture®] targeting one of three personality profiles: Anxiety sensitivity (AS), hopelessness (H), and sensation seeking (SS) on reducing drinking behavior in Canadian high school students who indicated past 4 month drinking. Participants were randomly assigned to participate in the relevant personality-targeted intervention or to a no-intervention control. Measures utilized include the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking–Intensity subscale (AISS–I), the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI), and a developer questionnaire that addressed drinking behavior (alcohol consumption). Results indicate that there were beneficial effects of the relevant personality-targeted intervention and Intervention × Personality interactions on drinking rates, drinking quantity, binge drinking, and problem drinking symptoms at the 4-month follow-up. Limitations include that the design did not allow for testing of the hypotheses about matching treatment to personality; the observed intervention effects were not large in magnitude, even for AS, H, and SS youth in the experimental group; and the study did not address the fact that some high-risk youth had multiple personality elevations and could have benefited from an intervention that targets more than one personality risk factor.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 4 months.

Conrod, P. J., Castellanos, N., & Mackie, C. (2008). Personality‐targeted interventions delay the growth of adolescent drinking and binge drinking. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(2), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01826.x

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 368

Population:

• Age — 9–10 years (Median=14 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 250 Female and 118 Male
• Status — Participants were students in Grades 9 to 10 with personality risk factors for substance misuse.

Location/Institution: Thirteen secondary schools in ten London boroughs

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Castellanos & Conrod (2006). The purpose of the study was to examine whether providing personality-targeted interventions in early adolescence can delay drinking and binge drinking in high-risk youth. Participants were randomly assigned to a personality-targeted intervention [now called PreVenture®] or to no intervention. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), and drinking outcomes were assessed by a study-developed measure of the frequency and quantity over the past 6 months. Results indicate that there was a group difference in the growth of alcohol use between baseline and 6-month follow-up, with the control group showing a greater increase in drinking than the personality-targeted intervention group for this period. The personality-targeted interventions were particularly effective in preventing the growth of binge drinking in those students with a sensation seeking (SS) personality. Sensation Seeking drinkers in the personality-targeted intervention group were 45% and 50% less likely to binge drink at 6 and 12 months, respectively, than SS drinkers in the control group. Limitations include that the study did not examine the efficacy of this personality-targeted approach using a placebo-controlled design and the lack of information about some of the measures’ psychometrics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: Approximately 6 and 12 months.

Newton, N. C., Conrod, P. J., Slade, T., Carragher, N., Champion, K. E., Barrett, E. L., Kelly, E. V., Nair, N. K., Stapinski, L., & Teesson, M. (2016). The long‐term effectiveness of a selective, personality‐targeted prevention program in reducing alcohol use and related harms: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(9), 1056–1065. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12558

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 438

Population:

• Age — 13–14 years (Mean=13.4 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 57% Male
• Status — Participants were Year 8 students.

Location/Institution: Fourteen Australian schools (New South Wales and Victoria)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness of PreVenture® in reducing the uptake of alcohol, harmful use of alcohol, and alcohol-related harms over a 3-year period. Participants were students from schools that were block randomized to one of two groups: the PreVenture® group and the control group (usual health education classes). Only students screening as high-risk on one of four personality profiles (anxiety sensitivity, negative thinking, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) were included in the analysis. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), an abridged version of the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and drinking outcomes were assessed by a study-developed measure of the frequency and quantity over the past 6 months. Results indicate that relative to high-risk control students, high-risk PreVenture® students displayed significantly reduced growth in their likelihood to consume alcohol, to binge drink, and to experience alcohol-related harms over 36 months. Limitations include reliance on self-reported data; randomization led to an imbalance in the sex split across the groups; some schools required active parental consent, which may have implications for the generalizability of the results; the subgroup analysis only used data from the high-risk students; and a lack of information about some measures’ psychometrics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: Approximately 12, 24, and 36 months.

Teesson, M., Newton, N. C., Slade, T., Carragher, N., Barrett, E. L., Champion, K. E., Kelly, E. V., Nair, N. K., Stapinski, L. A., & Conrod, P. J. (2017). Combined universal and selective prevention for adolescent alcohol use: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Psychological Medicine, 47(10), 1761–1770. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717000198

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 2190

Population:

• Age — 13–14 years (Mean=13.3 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Not specified
• Status — Participants were Year 8 students.

Location/Institution: Twenty-six Australian schools (New South Wales and Victoria)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the first combined universal and selective approach to alcohol prevention. Participants were students from schools that were randomized to the following four conditions: universal prevention (Climate Schools); selective prevention (PreVenture®); combined prevention (Climate Schools and PreVenture [CAP]); or health education as usual (control). Some schools (n=17) required passive parental consent, while students at other schools (n=9) needed active consent due to ethical requirements. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), an abridged version of the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and drinking outcomes were assessed by a study-developed measure of the frequency and quantity over the past 6 months. Results indicate that Climate, PreVenture®, and CAP students demonstrated significantly lower growth in their likelihood to drink and binge drink relative to controls over 24 months. PreVenture® students displayed significantly lower growth in their likelihood to experience alcohol harms relative to controls. While adolescents in both the CAP and Climate groups demonstrated slower growth in drinking compared with adolescents in the control group over the 2-year study period, CAP adolescents demonstrated faster growth in drinking compared with Climate adolescents. Limitations include a reliance on self-reported data, an imbalance in the sex split across the groups, greater attrition occurring in the PreVenture® group compared with the other groups, and a lack of information about measure psychometrics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 12 and 24 months.

Newton, N. C., Stapinski, L., Teesson, M., Slade, T., Champion, K. E., Barrett, E. L., Birrell, L., Kelly, E., Mather, M., & Conrod, P. J. (2020). Evaluating the differential effectiveness of social influence and personality-targeted alcohol prevention on mental health outcomes among high-risk youth: A novel cluster randomised controlled factorial design trial.  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 54(3), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419877948

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 2190

Population:

• Age — 13–14 years (Mean=13.3 years)
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Not specified
• Status — Participants were Year 8 students.

Location/Institution: Twenty-six Australian schools (New South Wales and Victoria)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Teesson et al. (2017). The purpose of the study was to examine the secondary mental health outcomes of two contrasting alcohol prevention approaches, whereby one intervention targets common underlying personality risk for alcohol use and mental health problems (PreVenture®), and the other targets alcohol- and drug-related behaviours and cognitions (Climate Schools). Participants were students from schools that were randomized to the following four conditions: Climate Schools, PreVenture®, combined Climate Schools and PreVenture® (CAP), or treatment as usual (TAU). Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results indicate that main effects for each intervention relative to not receiving that intervention revealed significant main effects of PreVenture® in reducing anxiety symptoms and a marginal effect in reducing depressive symptoms over 3 years. Interaction effects revealed that when delivered alone, PreVenture® significantly reduced conduct problems and hyperactivity symptoms compared to TAU. Limitations include the use of self-report data, school-level randomization led to an imbalance in gender across the groups, the study did not address the question of whether the interventions reduce the proportion of adolescents reaching clinical symptom thresholds, and lack of information about measure psychometrics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 12, 24, and 36 months.

Newton, N. C., Debenham, J., Slade, T., Smout, A., Grummitt, L., Sunderland, M., Barrett, E. L., Champion, K. E., Chapman, C., Kelly, E., Lawler, S., Castellanos-Ryan, N., Teesson, M., Conrod, P. J., & Stapinski, L. (2022). Effect of selective personality-targeted alcohol use prevention on 7-year alcohol-related outcomes among high-risk adolescents: A secondary analysis of a cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 5(11), Article e2242544. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.42544

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 2190

Population:

• Age — Mean=13.3 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 57% Male
• Status — Participants were Year 8 students.

Location/Institution: Twenty-six schools (17 private, 9 public) in New South Wales and Victoria Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Teesson et al. (2017). The purpose of the study was to examine the sustainability of universal, selective, and combined alcohol use prevention across the critical transition period from adolescence into early adulthood. Participants were students from schools that were randomly assigned to deliver the following: (1) universal web-based prevention for all students (Climate Schools); (2) selective prevention for high-risk students PreVenture®, (3) combined universal and selective prevention (Climate Schools and PreVenture [CAP]); or (4) health education as usual (control). Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), an adapted version of the Patterns of Alcohol Index, an abbreviated version of the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index, and drinking outcomes were assessed by a study-developed measure of the frequency and quantity over the past 6 months. Results indicate that at the 7-year follow-up, students in all three intervention groups reported reduced odds of alcohol-related harms compared to the control group, and the Climate and PreVenture® groups reported lower odds of hazardous alcohol use. The PreVenture® group also reported lower odds of weekly alcohol use compared to the control group, and the Climate group reported lower odds of binge drinking, holding mean baseline levels constant. Limitations include that the study is limited by data attrition because due to the length and timing of the follow-up period, 43% of participants could not be reached for the longer-term assessments; reliance on self-reported measures; lack of generalizability of findings due to the sample being comprised largely of Australian-born, English-speaking adolescents; and lack of information about some measures’ psychometrics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1, 2, 3, 5.5, and 7 years.

Champion, K. E., Debenham, J., Teesson, M., Stapinski, L. A., Devine, E., Barrett, E. L., Slade, T., Kelly, E. V., Chapman, C., Smout, A., Lawler, S., Castellanos-Ryan N., Conrod P. J., & Newton, N. C. (2024). Effect of a selective personality-targeted prevention program on 7-year illicit substance related outcomes: A secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 258, Article e111266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111266

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 438

Population:

• Age — PreVenture: Mean=13.38 years; Control: Mean=13.41 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — PreVenture: 81% Male and 19% Female; Control: 36% Male and 64% Female
• Status — Participants were Grade 8 students.

Location/Institution: Twenty-six Australian schools (New South Wales and Victoria)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Teesson et al. (2017). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the selective personality-targeted PreVenture® program in reducing cannabis and stimulant use over a 7-year period spanning adolescence and early adulthood. Participants were students from schools that were randomized to the following four conditions: a) the universal ‘Climate Schools’ program, (b) the personality-targeted selective ‘PreVenture’ program, (c) combined universal and selective intervention, and d) control group (health education as usual). The study focuses solely on schools in the PreVenture® and control conditions, and only on students categorized as having high levels of 1 of 4 personality traits associated with substance use. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS); an adapted version of the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) was used to assess cannabis use in the past 6 months; and past 6-month use of MDMA, and cannabis-related harms were assessed using a set of questions adapted from the Adolescent Cannabis Problems Questionnaire. Results indicate that compared to controls, the PreVenture® group had significantly reduced odds of annual cannabis-related harms. However, there were no significant group differences in the growth of cannabis use or stimulant use over the 7-year period. Limitations include high attrition at the 5.5 and 7-year follow-ups once students had left secondary school, more males were in the PreVenture® group due to recruitment of a large number of all-male schools, lack of information about measure psychometrics, data only from PreVenture® or control (health education as usual) arms used in this study, and reliance on self-reported measures.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1, 2, 3, 5.5, and 7 years.

Halladay, J., Sunderland, M., Newton, N. C., Lynch, S. J., Chapman, C., Stapinski, L., Andrews, J. L., Birrell, L., Teesson, M.. & Slade, T. (2024). Do school-based prevention programs impact co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress during adolescence?. Psychological Medicine, 54(16), 4725–4735. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724002897

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 8576

Population:

• Age — 13–16 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 52% Female
• Status — Participants were students.

Location/Institution: Ninety-seven schools in Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Newton et al. (2016) and Teesson et al. (2017). The purpose of the study was to explore the prevention effects of leading school-based prevention programs on co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress. The Climate and PreVenture (CAP) trial included 2,190 students in 26 schools, while the Climate Schools: Alcohol and Cannabis and Climate Schools: Mental Health courses (CSC) trial included 6,386 students in 71 schools. Participants were from the combined data, which included the whole sample of 8,576 students in 97 schools randomly assigned to receive either health education as usual or a prevention program. Five prevention programs are compared: (1) Climate SU; (2) Climate MH; (3) PreVenture®; (4) Climate Schools Combined (all students received both Climate SU and Climate MH); and (5) Climate SU and PreVenture (all students received Climate SU and high-risk students additionally received PreVenture®). Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Kessler-6 (K6), the hyperactivity and conduct problems subscales from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), questions on alcohol use and distress, and drinking outcomes were assessed by a study developed measure of the frequency and quantity over the past 6 months. Results indicate that the combined Climate Schools: Alcohol and Cannabis and Climate Schools: Mental Health courses (CSC), as well as the PreVenture® program, reduced the risk of adolescents reporting co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress. Other evaluated programs (excluding Climate Schools: Mental Health) only appeared effective for reducing the risk of alcohol use that occurred without distress. Limitations include the inability to tease apart differences due to biological sex from sociocultural gender, and none of the evaluated programs in this study appear to target mechanisms that universally prevent psychological distress in the whole student population which occurs among adolescents who do not initiate alcohol use early.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 12, 24, and 30 or 36 months.

Conrod, P., Stewart, S. H., Seguin, J., Pihl, R., Masse, B., Spinney, S., & Lynch, S. (2025). Five-year outcomes of a school-based personality-focused prevention program on adolescent substance use disorder: A cluster randomized trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 182(5), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.20240042

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 3,756 (Intervention: 1,589; Control: 2,167)

Population:

• Age — Intervention: Mean=12.8 years; Control: Mean=12.8 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Intervention: 49% Female; Control: Not specified
• Status — Participants were all 7th grade students enrolled at 31 secondary schools in the greater Montreal area in September 2012 and September 2013.

Location/Institution: Thirty-one public/private French and English high schools in Montreal (Canada)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to investigate 5-year substance use disorder (SUD) outcomes following a selective drug and alcohol prevention program targeting personality risk factors for adolescent substance misuse. Participants were students from schools that were randomly assigned to a selective drug and alcohol prevention program targeting personality risk [now called PreVenture] or to a control group. Measures utilized include the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Detection of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Adolescents (DEP-ADO) questionnaire, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results indicate that when baseline differences were controlled for, a time-by-intervention interaction revealed positive growth in SUD rate for the control group and reduced growth for the intervention group, indicating a 35% reduction in the annual increase in SUD rate in the intervention condition relative to the control condition. Group differences in SUD rates were reliably nonzero (95% confidence) at the fourth and fifth years of assessment. Secondary analyses revealed no significant intervention effects on growth of anxiety, depression, or total mental health difficulties over the four follow-up periods. Limitations include reliance on self-reported SUD measures and missing data.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.