Computer-based Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention for Adolescents

This description will focus on the randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the web-based prevention intervention the investigators are developing.

Recruitment. Youth will be recruited for study participation via the social networking website, Facebook. This site allows advertisers to choose the demographics of the audience that ads target. This will lead to significantly fewer clicks on the ad from advertising site users who do not meet inclusionary criteria for the study. The investigators plan to post banner ads that promote the study to 12-17 year olds living in the U.S. To increase credibility, the investigators will ensure the ad references the organizations involved in this research project and the funding source. The investigators anticipate running ads for about 3 months to obtain an adequate sample size of approximately 400 for the study.

Screening and Enrollment. Upon clicking on a study ad, individuals will be taken to the study website and presented with a brief introduction to the study and an anonymous screener. Individuals who are eligible but who decline participation will be asked to indicate reasons for non-interest. Persons who click on the ad but are ineligible or who decline participation will be provided with the link to the Drug Enforcement Administration's website (JustThinkTwice.gov).

The investigators will employ several procedures to ensure that prospective participants are indeed youth within the targeted sample. All prospective participants will be asked to complete an electronic form with participant parents' name, address and phone numbers. An information packet will then be mailed to parents, which will include a letter describing the study and a brief summary of why parents are receiving the packet, 2 copies of a consent/assent form, investigators' contact information (including a toll-free number), a request for the participant's email address and phone number, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope for returning 1 signed copy of the consent/assent. To verify parental consent once received, a research team member will call parents to confirm the child's participation. A research team member will also visually inspect parents' and child's signatures on consent/assent forms, and any that are suspiciously similar will lead to non-enrollment.

Youth who provide appropriate consents/assents will be emailed a unique study identification (ID) and temporary password to use on the study's secure website. During the initial login, participants will be required to change their password. Participants will be invited to complete baseline assessments online. As a further validity check, participants will be asked for their Date of Birth twice at baseline. If an individual provides discrepant dates, s/he will not be invited to move forward with randomization but will be referred to the Drug Enforcement Administration's website (JustThinkTwice.gov).