Computer Informed and Flexible Family-Based Treatment for Adolescents: A Randomized Clinical Trial for at-Risk Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents

Abstract

Family interventions have been shown to be effective for adolescents with behavior problems. Current literature supports both adaptive treatments and technology-assisted interventions as highly promising innovations for treating at-risk adolescents. The purpose of this investigation was to develop and test the efficacy of a computer-assisted version of an established office-based multicomponent family therapy. Eighty Hispanic and Black Non-Hispanic adolescents and their families participated in the study and were randomized to either Immediate Computer-Assisted CIFFTA or Delayed Computer-Assisted CIFFTA. Significant between-groups effects were found from baseline to posttreatment showing the superiority of the Immediate CA CIFFTA condition on both the Conduct Disorder (B=-5.17, SE=1.73, p<.01, CI [-8.55, -1.79]) and Socialized Aggression (B=-2.04, SE=.83, p<.05, CI [-3.67, -.41]) subscales of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist, on the Youth Self Report Externalizing scale (B=-4.22, SE=1.40, p<.01, CI [-6.95, -1.48]), and on both the parent (B=1.34, SE=.50, p<.01, CI [.36, 2.32]) and adolescent (B=1.31, SE=.46, p<.01, CI [.41, 2.21]) reports of the Family Environment Scale’s family cohesion subscale. Baseline to 6-weeks posttreatment (T1-T3) analyses showed that these significant within-subjects effects were sustained for the treatment group. Results highlight that adolescent behavior problems can be significantly impacted by a computer-assisted intervention that replaces psychoeducational face-to-face meetings with computer-delivered modules.