{"id":4758,"date":"2026-07-28T02:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T02:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=4758"},"modified":"2026-07-28T02:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T02:47:22","slug":"benefits-of-middle-school-program-trickle-down-to-next-generation-penn-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=4758","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of middle school program trickle down to next generation | Penn State University"},"content":{"rendered":"
The PROSPER program, which included parents and teenagers, had impacts on the next generation of children when participating teenagers became parents nearly two decades later, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.\u00a0Credit: ozgurcankaya\/Getty Images . All Rights Reserved.<\/figcaption>

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. \u2014 A substance-use prevention program delivered to students and their families in the sixth and seventh grades led to wide-ranging benefits well into adulthood and \u2014 for those who became parents \u2014 even positively affected their children, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development<\/p>\n

The Promoting School-Community-University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER)<\/a> program builds problem solving and communication skills among middle school students to reduce alcohol and other substance misuse. It was developed more than 20 years ago by researchers at Penn State and Iowa State University and has been delivered for decades in rural towns where residents have higher risk for substance misuse and lower levels of education.<\/p>\n

Other studies have shown that participating in PROSPER improved young people<\/a>\u2019s abilities<\/a> to communicate and solve problems with others. Eighteen years later, the children of middle school PROSPER participants displayed higher levels of social and emotional skills \u2014 including listening, getting along with others and self-control \u2014 than children of people who did not participate in PROSPER, according to a new study published in Child Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skills that youth developed in PROSPER are so meaningful and so transferable that their home lives as adults were improved. In fact, they improved to the point that we can see a difference in their children,\u201d said Greg Fosco<\/a>, professor of human development and family studies, Edna Bennett Pierce Faculty Fellow in Prevention Research and lead author of the study. \u201cTo me, this shows the true power of helping children and families build skills before problems emerge. It can literally change lives for generations<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Training that makes a difference for decades<\/h2>\n

In 2001, 28 communities in Pennsylvania and Iowa were randomized to either receive PROSPER programs from trainers in their community or to continue education as usual. In sixth grade, PROSPER students received training on solving problems, working with peers and\/or declining alcohol and other substances. In seventh grade, students and their families received training on building relationships and problem-solving together.<\/p>\n

Subsequent studies found that students in the PROSPER program continued to develop better problem-solving skills and had lower levels of delinquency and substance use during high school. After high school, they had reduced risk for antisocial behavior<\/a> and problematic substance use<\/a>, and they experienced lower levels of depression and suicidal thoughts<\/a>. They also experienced lower levels of romantic partner violence and reported better problem-solving skills with their romantic partner, the researchers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was clear that PROSPER continued to affect people\u2019s lives when they went out into the world,\u201d said Mark Feinberg<\/a>, research professor in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and co-author of the study. \u201cThat inspired us to ask, \u2018Do these benefits carry over to next generation of children?\u2019 It turns out that they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefits for the next generation<\/h2>\n

In this study, the researchers examined data from 395 individuals who had young children and participated in PROSPER from 2002-03 or 2003-04, either as participants or in the control group. Statistical analyses indicated these individuals were similar to other PROSPER participants, so it is reasonable to assume that the same benefits would extend to the rest of the sample if and when they had children, the researchers said.<\/p>\n

Participants of this study completed surveys about their family environments and their children\u2019s social-emotional skills. Results showed that parents who participated in PROSPER during middle school reported lower levels of family conflict, higher levels of family cohesion and more clear and consistent routines for their households<\/p>\n

Middle school PROSPER participants also reported that their children demonstrated the abilities to share, get along with others, be helpful, wait to take turns, follow instructions and other skills needed for succeeding at school and forming friendships. Comparatively, individuals from non-PROSPER communities reported lower levels of those skills among their children<\/p>\n

The path from PROSPER to better adjusted children<\/h2>\n

What excited the researchers, they said, was that they could determine how PROSPER affected the next generation<\/p>\n

The PROSPER intervention helped pre-teens develop the ability to cooperate and solve problems with others. These skills continued to improve relative to their peers after PROSPER ended, according to the researchers<\/p>\n

\u201cPROSPER targeted drug use among teenagers, but by putting them on the path to better social problem-solving skills in their youth, participants continued to practice and develop these skills during adolescence,\u201d Fosco said. “This is why we saw participants’ social problem-solving skills continue to improve for a few more years.”<\/p>\n

When these PROSPER participants became adults, they reported less family conflict, more family belonging and clear household routines. These family-level variables were then correlated with the next generation of children’s improved social-emotional skills, the results showed<\/p>\n

\u201cResearchers have known for years that the three-legged stool of low conflict, high sense of belonging and clear expectations helps create stable, healthy home environments,\u201d Feinberg said. \u201cIn this study, we showed that this supportive home life helped position the children of PROSPER participants for success in the home, at school and among their peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because many factors influence how people, families and their children develop, the differences in the next generation of children due to PROSPER are small, the researchers said. But the fact that differences are detectable in the next generation shows how PROSPER changes lives, they continued<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to keep in mind that PROSPER was delivered by people from the communities \u2014 not by researchers from Penn State,\u201d Fosco said. \u201cThis program does not require outsiders to run it. Some towns have been reaping these benefits for their children over more than twenty years. PROSPER<\/a> improves lives \u2014 literally for generations \u2014 and I hope to see the day when it is run in every community.\u201d<\/p>\n

This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health\u2019s (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under award number R01HD092439<\/a>. The PROSPER trial was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and co-funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism under award number R01DA013709<\/a>. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Penn State Social Science Research Institute also provided support for the PROSPER project.<\/p>\n

This content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the funders<\/p>\n

At Penn State, researchers are solving real problems that impact the health, safety and quality of life of people across the commonwealth, the nation and around the world<\/p>\n

For decades, federal support for research has fueled innovation that makes our country safer, our industries more competitive and our economy stronger. Recent federal funding cuts threaten this progress<\/p>\n

Learn more about the implications of federal funding cuts to our future atResearch or Regress<\/p>\n

Last Updated July 27, 2026<\/p>\n

Contact<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • \n

    Aaron Wagner<\/p>\n

      \n
    • atw14@psu.edu<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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