Montana Teen Stress and Health Study
Basic Information
The Montana Teen Stress and Health Survey is funded by a research grant from the National
Institutes on Health to study risk and protective factors associated with teen substance
use in Montana. While the nature and extent of substance use among Montana teens is
well documented, we don’t know nearly as much about the specific factors that encourage resiliency among high-risk teens and protect them from engaging in substance use behaviors. Identifying those positive qualities is
the purpose of this survey.
Survey Highlights
- Designed to be given during one classroom period
- Targets 9th-12th graders
- Is completely anonymous
- Is designed to identify positive qualities that protect at-risk teens from engaging in substance use
- Moves beyond YRBS and PNA to examine the role of stressful life events and chronic stressors to identify teens most at risk for substance use and other health risk behaviors
- But also looks at such positive factors as parental attachment, social support, self-esteem, and personal coping mechanisms
- As a diagnostic tool, the MTSHS reveals to students that although many teens use drugs and alcohol, there are a large number of students who do not
- Shows that substance use problems are not just a “school problem”
- Elevates the effectiveness of prevention programs already in place
- Provides administrators with important information that can be used to fund new prevention & intervention initiatives by the school or other entities (hard numbers are often required by funding organizations)
Research Team
David J. Eitle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Montana State University
Tamela McNulty Eitle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Montana State University
Michelle Johnson-Jennings, Ph.D
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Assistant Professor – Counseling Psychology
School of Pharmacy
University of Minnesota
Contact Information
Tamela Eitle, Associate Professor of Sociology
Montana State University-Bozeman
Office: (406) 994-4713