Summary:

Analyses of mediating variables serve as the basic building blocks and foundation to an emerging science of drug abuse prevention.

1) mediation analysis provides the scientific basis for the development, testing and implementation of efficacious and effective theory-based drug abuse prevention programs.

2) the analysis of mediating variables serves to integrate etiologic and epidemiologic research and theories of drug abuse causation with prevention intervention science.

3) mediation analysis bridges the gap between basic neurologic and genetic research with the study of prevention interventions and as a result strengthens an emerging science of prevention.

4) Finally, promoting the utilization of mediation analysis in the field of prevention science will advance prevention science. Several action steps to make mediational analysis a standard practice in prevention research include: the consolidation of research findings from mediational analyses in prevention and the development of a user friendly summary/data base of the research literature; testing of innovative new methodologies/analysis packages for mediational analysis, and finally, the diffusion of these methods to the field of prevention through training modules, summer workshops, and courses of instruction for both prevention researchers and practitioners.