| Adolescent
Family-Based Alcohol Prevention
Principal
Investigator: Brenda A. Miller, Ph.D.
This
study examines the efficacy and effectiveness of two theory
based, universal family prevention programs that have shown
efficacy for reducing adolescent alcohol and other drug use:
Family Matters (FM) (Bauman, 1996) and (Iowa) Strengthening
Families Program (Spoth, 1999) when implemented with families
randomly assigned to one of two different conditions: a family
“choice” condition (two-groups--FM or SFP) and a traditional random control trial condition (three groups--FM,
SFP, and control) called the “assigned” condition.
The two conditions (choice vs. assigned) will be compared
for differences in: (a) adolescent outcomes related to alcohol
use and related behaviors; (b) family characteristics for
those who participate; (c) family recruitment, retention and
completion rates; (d) costs for program implementation.
The
sample is drawn from families (N=725) with a child age 11
or 12 currently enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Health Care
Plan (KP), in one of four medical centers in Northern California.
An initial face-to-face interview will be conducted (separately)
with parent and adolescent prior to program delivery and two
follow-up interviews (12 and 24 months later) will be conducted
over the telephone with parent and adolescent (separately).
The
health care system represents an important new mode for delivering
adolescent alcohol use prevention programs to families. The
specific aims of this project will provide a real world test
of implementation issues and feasibility. Finally, the choice
condition represents an innovative, realistic condition under
which families make participation decisions outside of the
traditional experimental study design protocols. Choosing
a treatment based on personal preference may increase patient’s
sense of autonomy and self-efficacy for behavior change thereby
improving outcomes (Williams, 1998; Clarke, 1999). Social cognitive
theory and principles of self-regulation provide a connection
between these psychological constructs and behavioral choices/health
outcomes (Bandura, 1986; Clark & Zimmerman, 1990).
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