Improving Parenting and Parent-Adolescent Communication to Delay or Prevent the Onset of Alcohol and Drug Use in Young Adolescents with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Pilot Trial

Abstract

This study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a brief parent-based prevention intervention to delay or prevent the initiation of alcohol and drug use in young adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders. Findings from a small randomized clinical trial comparing the individualized family substance use preventive intervention based on the Family Check-Up model (FCU condition) to a Psychoeducation (PE) session revealed that parents in both conditions reported an increase in alcohol-related communication at three and six months as well as an increase in general family communication. Parents in the FCU condition reported an increase on overall substance-related communication, and reported experiencing less problematic family communication compared to those in PE. Parents in the PE condition reported greater increases in parental monitoring than parents in the FCU condition. Study findings suggest a larger trial is indicated to test individual and family factors that lead to differential efficacy of these preventive interventions.