This program was delivered to parents of college students and was intended to impact parents and college students.

MyStudentBody - Parent, a school-based program, was designed to help parents develop open communication with their college-aged children, which, in turn, could help reduce high-risk behaviors among college students. The program provided parents with health information and resources to use as they addressed sensitive topics with their college-aged children.

An internal randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that, compared to those in the control group, parents in the treatment group reported greater communication with their teens about engaging in protective behaviors when consuming alcohol at post-test. Longitudinal analyses examining data collected from baseline through 5-months post-program indicated that teens in the treatment group reported using protective behaviors discussed with their parents more frequently than teens in the control group. No effects were found for parents' or teens' confidence in communicating with each other about alcohol and other drugs (AOD) or teens' binge drinking behavior.

The MyStudentBody - Parent program was a component of MyStudentBody.com, which was an inclusive, online alcohol, drug, and sexual assault awareness and prevention education program for college students. This program consisted of the following seven modules:

• College Trends - Provided information about AOD and helped to correct misconceptions surrounding teens' AOD use;
• Share the Facts with Your Child - Examined high-risk topics, like the connection between alcohol use and sexual violence and the biphasic effect (i.e., emotional highs and lows) of consuming alcohol;
• Communicating About the Transition -  Discussed the transition to college with an emphasis on establishing AOD-related expectations;
• Prevention Strategies - Focused on steps that could be taken to ensure safety and responsibility, such as disclosing a family history of problematic AOD use, discussing protective behaviors to be used when consuming alcohol, and developing a strategy for dealing with an alcohol poisoning emergency;
• Warning Signs - Explored alcohol abuse and its associated consequences;
• Support for Students - Provided information on a variety of support mechanisms, like peer groups and university safety services; and
• Rules and Regulations - Offered information on university, state, and federal policies related to AOD.

Online videos were used throughout the modules to demonstrate conversational techniques that parents could use with their college-aged children. The program also provided several resources, such as a downloadable Parent Guide, an Orientation Checklist Tool, and a series of audio stories called Campus Perspectives.

MyStudentBody.com was made available in 2000 and was used in 300 universities, colleges, and community colleges in 34 states in the United States and was used in Ireland. No specific previous use information was available for the MyStudentBody-Parent program.

To facilitate this program, the institution needed to acquire a program subscription to MyStudentBody.com  In addition, at least one on-campus program administrator was required to spend 3 hours receiving instruction in initial program setup, which included training in program installation, dissemination, and data collection.

This program is no longer available; however, considerations for implementing a program similar to the MyStudentBody - Parent program might include gaining administrative and parent buy-in, acquiring a program administrator, and ensuring participants have consistent access to a computer with internet capabilities.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing a program similar to the MyStudentBody - Parent program, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

MyStudentBody.com was an ongoing resource for users and was always available online. Time to view online material varied by participant. In the RCT of the program, participants were instructed to view two modules per week for 4 weeks; however, during the first week, participants were instructed to view one module.

MyStudentBody.com program costs varied and depended on undergraduate enrollment and length of subscription.

To move the MyStudentBody - Parent program to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

This program is no longer available.

https://www.mystudentbody.com/uploadedFiles/Public_Content/Our_Program/Programs/MSB-Parent-Productsheet%20Web.pdf (This website no longer contains program information) and Donovan, Wood, Frayjo, Black, and Surette (2012).

Donovan, E., Wood, M., Frayjo, K., Black, R. A., & Surette, D. A. (2012). A randomized, controlled trial to test the efficacy of an online, parent-based intervention for reducing the risks associated with college-student alcohol use. Addictive Behaviors, 37(1), 25-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.09.007