Abstract
BACKGROUND: Inspired by the European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial EUDAP-1 and the Czech randomised controlled prevention study, a formative research project was implemented in Georgia from January 1 to December 15, 2012 by the Ilia State University Institute of Psychology, in cooperation with the Department of Addictology of the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague. AIM: Formative evaluation of the piloting of the 'Unplugged' intervention in Georgia and its adaptation to the Georgian socio-cultural context.
METHOD: A formative evaluation study was conducted, involving qualitative research methods, including an action research workshop, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. The methods of analysis and interpretation used included coding, clustering, categorisation, contrast, and comparing.
SAMPLE: Twenty-three school students in the age range from 11-14, five schoolteachers, four school psychologists, and the directors of three private schools in Tbilisi. RESULTS: Both the children and teachers see the immediate outcomes of the programme in increased awareness of the drug-related risks and increased self-confidence in social settings amongst students; the study confirms that the methodology of the comprehensive social influence programme itself is appropriate to the Georgian socio--cultural context.
CONCLUSIONS: The facilitative factors for the implementation of 'Unplugged' in Georgian schools are: school managers' motivation to contribute to the well-being of their students; interest on the part of the students, and motivation on the part of the school psychologists/ teachers to master the method; the obstacles include: the lack of experience of prevention of school staff members; existing taboos about drugs in the country, and too-strict school curricula with little chance of adding a new subject unless the Ministry of Education puts it into the 'must-do' category.