Prevention of drug abuse by promoting mental health among school students.

An approach to the prevention of drug abuse among adolescents by promoting mental health was implemented in a study carried out in 1983 in the schools of La Reina, a district of the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile. A series of workshops, organized for the training of students and teachers, focused on the acquisition of communication abilities, the resolution of day-to-day conflicts and the improvement of self-esteem. The workshop training was intended to enable the trainees to replicate the knowledge and experience gained with their fellow classmates and teachers. The evaluation, carried out by means of a questionnaire administered at the beginning and at the end of the training programme, showed positive results among students and teachers, but better results were obtained among the teachers.