Development and pilot-testing of a skill-based intervention to prevent psychoactive substance use among college students: A study from Bangalore, India

BACKGROUND: Psychoactive substance use among college youth is increasing in low- and middle-income countries like India. However, there are few systematically developed interventions for this vulnerable group. AIM: The aim of this study was to develop a skill-based intervention to prevent substance use among college students (or enable them to quit, if already initiated use). METHOD: The skill-based intervention was informed by focus group discussions with college students regarding the kind of help they perceived would be useful. The intervention was pilot-tested for its appropriateness and acceptability in this population, and revised based on their inputs. RESULTS: The feedback received from the students was incorporated and the intervention was suitably revised. The final intervention adopted a disease prevention and health promotion approach, by addressing psychoactive substance use as a risk factor for several major illnesses, and providing practical guidance on how to overcome use. The intervention consisted of four sections: (i) Health effects of substances, with realistic depictions through computer graphics (e.g., to illustrate arterial blockage, brain shrinkage, lung damage, erosion of gastric mucosa, impaired sexual performance, premature aging); Clarification of Myths, Providing Medical Facts, (ii) How to Overcome Substance Use, with practical strategies for quitting, (iii) Quitting Substance Use as part of a Healthy Lifestyle, (iv) Conclusion, portraying life after quitting substances, with motivational messages. CONCLUSION: The skill-based intervention received positive feedback regarding its applicability and acceptance among college students. An experimental trial can be planned to examine the efficacy of the intervention in bringing about improvement in specific outcomes.