To drive and determine priorities and programming, Centre County Communities That Care® utilizes local data and primarily relies on the local results of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS). The survey is administered in the Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, and Penns Valley Area School Districts biannually.

 

Background of PAYS

Since 1989, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has conducted a survey of secondary school students on their behavior, attitudes and knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and violence. The Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) of 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade public school students is conducted every two years with the involvement and support of local communities.  The first survey was administered in 2001 and the findings from the 2005 PAYS build upon the data gathered in 2001 and 2003, as well as the Generation at Risk survey, a biennial study of drug use prevalence rates that was conducted from 1989 through 1997. The effort is sponsored and conducted by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

The PAYS is based on the Communities That Care® Youth Survey, which was developed from the work of Dr. J. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard F. Catalano.  The survey is designed to identify levels of risk factors related to problem behaviors such as ATOD use and to identify the levels of protective factors that help guard against those behaviors.  In addition to measuring risk and protective factors, the Communities That Care® Youth Survey also measures the actual prevalence of drug use, violence, and other antisocial behaviors among surveyed youth.

This year’s PAYS report included three new categories of responses.  For the first time PAYS assessed the use of prescription medicines, including amphetamines, sedatives, tranquilizers, and narcotics, and their use for non-medical purposes.  Questions were also included for the first time assessing students’ experiences with gambling.  In 2003, PAYS included questions about students’ feelings – sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness – potential symptoms of depression.  This year, for the first time, the depression data is being reported - although it has been acknowledged that the questions are not indicative of clinical signs or symptoms of depression or suicide. 

Validity of PAYS

The anonymous and voluntary survey, which asks approximately 120 questions, is primarily administered within school settings.  To ensure the validity of the PAYS, more than 14,300 students reflective of varying urban, suburban, and rural demographics were randomly selected to participate in the 2005 survey analysis.  This year’s Pennsylvania outcomes were then measured against national outcomes in the “Monitoring the Future” study conducted by the University of Michigan.

Purpose of PAYS

The data gathered in the PAYS serve two primary needs. First, the survey results provide an important benchmark for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and delinquent behavior among Pennsylvania youth, as well as provide school administrators, state agency directors, legislators and local communities with critical information concerning changes in patterns of use and abuse of harmful substances and behaviors.  In addition, the results help indicate whether prevention and treatment programs are achieving their intended results.  Second, the survey assesses risk factors that are related to these behaviors and the protective factors that help guard against them. This information allows community leaders to direct prevention resources to areas where they are likely to have the greatest impact.