Data Collection Sheet PFS II Assessment:
Youth and Young Adults
  • Since you should gain information about your county as a whole, consider conducting more than one focus group with youth that represent the diversity of your county, in terms of communities and ethnic or other subgroups.

Introductory script (EXAMPLE): You have been asked to participate in this focus group because you are a young person in this community so you could comment on what youth in this community do and think as a whole. We are not interested in learning information about specific individuals or infractions of the law, but are most interested in learning what attitudes and beliefs young people have in this community around drinking and prescription drug misuse. Please think about your community when responding. We thank you again for your participation.

1.Can you tell us about how common do you think it is for youth under the legal age to drink in your community? (probe for all sub-questions as much as possible – is this similar to or different than other communities in our county?)

  1. How old do people typically start drinking around here?
  2. Describe the young people who drink. What about youth who don’t drink? What are they like? (Probe for different communities, age groups, social groups like ‘jocks’ or whatever the language is used locally, high school, middle school, college, boys vs. girls, etc.)
  3. How is this different for young adults? Once people reach 21 do these groups change in terms of their consumption of alcohol?
  4. Are some types easier or cheaper to get than others? Can you talk a little more about that?

2.How hard do you think it is for underage youth to get alcohol in this community?

  1. How do youth typically get alcohol? (Probe for adult and same-age family members, friends, strangers, directly in stores, bars or restaurants, stealing from home, getting at parties.)
  2. Has it gotten any harder or easier for youth to get alcohol in the last year? Why do you think this?

3.What kinds of problems do you see in youth who use alcohol in your community? (Probe: Problems with school? With family? With the law? With friendships? )

4.What generally happens when a student uses alcohol at school or school-related events?

  1. Do people get caught? What kinds of people get caught? Why or why not?
  2. What are the consequences? Are consequences given in the same way for everyone? Why or why not?
  3. Have you noticed any changes this year in what happens? What kinds of changes?

5.What generally happens here when youth are caught drinking by other authorities (like the police, not school staff?)

  1. Do youth get arrested? Why or why not?
  2. Do the people who provided them alcohol get arrested? Why or why not?
  3. Have you noticed any changes in the last year in what happens? What kinds?
  4. OPTIONAL - - What about drinking and driving? What happens when youth are caught drinking and driving? How do school officials respond compared to law enforcement?

Now we’re going to shift gears to talk about prescription drug abuse. Our questions here will be very similar. We are interested in understanding what’s going on here specifically. It’s ok if you don’t know the answer to a question, we would like to inspire conversation. So we’re going to talk about lots of different ways that people can use or misuse prescription drugs.

  1. How do young people learn about using prescription drugs for recreational use (especially pain killers/opioids)?
  1. How common is it for young people to use prescription painkillers? (Probe for different age groups and communities)
  2. How do people tend to talk about them? Do they name the medication or use other terms?
  3. Where do people usually get prescription drugs that are used recreationally/for fun/to get high? From their doctor or dentist? From family members? From friends? From dealers? Where else? Travel to Mexico/Texas/AZ/ tribal lands?)
  4. Why do young people use painkillers? Do people use them for legitimate pain? Do they use them to relax, get high, when they party?
  5. How do young people use them, when it’s recreational? (Do they combine medications? Do they use them with alcohol or with illicit drugs like meth or marijuana?)
  1. What other kinds of prescription medications do young people use a lot or misuse here? (Valium? Ritalin? Other uppers? Benzos? Other downers? What else? – Probe for lingoand for different age groups and communities)
  2. How does this differ from prescription pain killer misuse?
  1. What kinds of problems do you see in youth who misuse prescription drugs in your county? (Probe: addiction? Problems with school? With family? With the law? With friendships?) (probe for different communities and age groups).

6.What generally happens when a young person gets caught for misusing prescription drugs? (probe for different communities and age groups)

  1. What are the consequences? Are consequences given in the same way for everyone? Why or why not?
  2. Do they get referred somewhere for help (counseling, etc)?
  3. Do youth get arrested? Why or why not?
  4. Do the people who provided them Rx drugs get arrested? Why or why not?
  5. Have you noticed any changes in the last year in what happens? What kind of changes?
  6. Is this any different at school versus by law enforcement?

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