Delaware Youth and Young Adults

Project DelAWARE

  • Eileen Sparling, Principal Investigator
  • Cheryl Ackerman, Senior Consultant
  • Sharon Merriman-Nai, Senior Consultant
  • Rochelle Brittingham, Project Manager
  • Meisje Scales, Evaluation Coordinator
  • Sofia Gonzalez, Survey Coordinator
  • Ilia King, Graduate Research Assistant

The Center for Drug and Health Studies serves as evaluators of Project DelAWARE, a 5-year initiative awarded to the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services. In collaboration with the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, DOE is developing and providing a Multi-tiered Systems of Support framework in partnering school districts. The goals of the project are to: raise awareness of mental health needs among students; educate teachers, administrators, and other school personnel to identify and refer students in need to evidence-based mental health programs; and to provide services to students in school and community-based settings. 

Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS)

  • Rochelle Brittingham, Principal Investigator
  • Sofia Gonzalez, Project Manager
  • Angela Brown, Project Assistant
  • Rachael Schilling, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Carol Ann Sharo, Graduate Research Assistant

Initiation date: 1999

Funding Sources:

Funding for the Delaware High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey is provided by the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Funding for the Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Surveys is provided by the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families, Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services.

This project supports the public school administration of the Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high school and middle school students, based on the CDC survey administered. This survey has been administered every other year in odd-numbered years to a random and representative sample. The study reports data comparable to other Center studies on substance use, but also provides the only statewide youth data on health, diet, and sexual activity, as well as some comparability to other states’ findings published by the CDC in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.​ The Center develops the Delaware version of the high school and middle school surveys with input from state and community agencies.

More information is available on past YRBS Reports and Surveys. 

Delaware Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Abuse Survey (Delaware School Survey)

  • Rochelle Brittingham, Principal Investigator
  • Sofia Gonzalez, Project Manager
  • Angela Brown, Project Assistant
  • Rachael Schilling, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Carol Ann Sharo, Graduate Research Assistant

Initiation date: 1995

Funding Source: Delaware Health Fund, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services through the federal SAPT Block Grant

This annual survey of substance use, delinquency, and risk and protective factors is administered to public school 5th, 8th, and 11th graders. It began in 1989 as a survey conducted by the Delaware Department of Education and has been conducted by the Center since 1995, with initial support from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention under CSAP evaluation contracts. The survey is developed by CDHS with input from state and community agencies, scanned, analyzed, tabulated, and results disseminated. The data provide a sample adequate to provide for analyses at the levels of Statewide Planning Area, School District, school (for large schools), and zip code.

More information is available on the past DSS Reports and Surveys.​

The Delaware Child Psychiatry Access Program (DCPAP)

  • Sharon Merriman-Nai, Principal Investigator
  • David Borton, Co-Principal Investigator
  • Cheryl M. Ackerman, Advisor

The Delaware Child Psychiatric Access Program, conducted by the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families, is developing a network of pediatric primary care providers who enlist with the state, or it’s contracted service providers, to receive telehealth consultation and educational services as needed, to provide better and more prompt psychiatric treatment for their patients.  This may reduce the number of children who need to be referred to a child psychiatrist, which often is delayed by six (6) to eight (8) months due to the shortage of child psychiatric practitioners in the state. In particular, the project is expected to substantially expand pediatric psychiatric services in the rural areas of Kent and Sussex Counties, both of which are underserved and designated health provider shortage areas. The Center for Drug and Health Studies is providing project evaluation, which includes needs assessments, enrolled provider surveys, evaluation of training presentations, and analysis of client-level treatment data. The project has expanded to offer telehealth psychiatric consultation to providers in emergency, urgent care, and school and school wellness settings.

Delaware Youth Tobacco Survey Administration and Analysis (YTS)

  • Rochelle Brittingham, Principal Investigator
  • Sofia Gonzalez, Project Manager
  • Angela Brown, Project Assistant
  • Rachael Schilling, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Carol Ann Sharo, Graduate Research Assistant

Initiation date: 2000

Funding Source: Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health 

This project is the Delaware public school administration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Tobacco Survey of middle and high school students. This survey has been administered every other year in even numbered years to a random and representative sample of both middle and high school students in most states. The study reports data comparable to other Center studies on tobacco use and abuse, but it also provides the only statewide youth data on attitudes toward tobacco, tobacco marketing, and access to tobacco by youth.

More information is available on past YTS Reports and Surveys. 

College Risk Behaviors Study (CRBS)

  • David Borton, Principal Investigator
  • Rachel Ryding, Research Associate

Initiated: 1993; Funding Source: Student Wellness & Health Promotion

2020 Report: CRBS 2020 Report.pdf

The College Risk Behaviors Study (CRBS) is an annual survey administered in collaboration with Student Wellness & Health Promotion during the Spring semester to a random sample of full-time University of Delaware undergraduates that asks students about drinking, drug use, sexual behavior, and other risky behaviors. Results from this survey are used to support UD programs that improve student health and wellbeing, inform the University community of student behaviors, promote data-driven decision making, and provide research opportunities to UD students, faculty, and staff.

More information available on past CRBS Reports and Surveys. ​​