Value of random teen drug testing questioned

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Random drug and alcohol testing does not seem to deter high school student-athletes from taking drugs or drinking and may actually boost risk factors for substance use down the road, according to findings of a study conducted in the Portland, Oregon area.

Dr. Linn Goldberg of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and colleagues conducted a 2-year study in which 11 area high schools were randomly assigned to one of two study groups: schools that designed and implemented a drug and alcohol testing policy and schools that designed but deferred implementing their policy of drug and alcohol testing.

The results showed that drug and alcohol use during the month leading up to the random testing did not differ among student-athletes at schools with random drug and alcohol testing and those with no such policy.

The presence of a random drug testing policy did not reduce student use of drugs or alcohol in the short term and only intermittently lowered use in the past year, Goldberg's group reports.

What's concerning, the investigators say, are the unwanted changes in attitude that occurred among students at schools with the random drug and alcohol testing. Ironically, athletes at these schools indicated that they felt less athletically competent, perceived that school officials were less opposed to drug use, and believed less in the benefits of drug testing.

These unhealthy attitude changes, coupled with the lack of impact on drug and alcohol use, suggest that more research is needed to assess the overall effects of a policy of random drug and alcohol testing among student-athletes, Goldberg and colleagues conclude.

There was also no indication that a policy of random drug testing reduced school sport participation "as some had suggested it would," Goldberg noted in a statement.

The findings of this study, which the researchers believe is the first forward-looking controlled study to assess the deterrent effects of random drug and alcohol testing among high school athletes, are published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

SOURCE: The Journal of Adolescent Health, November 2007.