Parent Program Component Analysis in a Drug Abuse Prevention Trial

Abstract

Purpose The current study estimates the effects of the parent program component of an evidence-based multi-component drug abuse prevention program for adolescents, Project STAR. Methods A total of 351 parents of middle school students, who had been assigned by school to a program or comparison condition (n = 8 schools), completed self-report surveys at baseline and two years later. Analyses estimated effects of the overall parent program as well as its three key constituent activities (parent-school committee participation, parent skills training, and parent-child homework activities) on perceptions of parental influence over their children’s substance use. Results Results demonstrate that parents who participated in the overall parent program demonstrated greater perceptions of influence over their children’s substance use at two-year follow-up. Furthermore, parents who participated in parent-school committees and homework sessions demonstrated greater perceptions of influence over their children’s substance use than those who did not. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that parent interventions may increase self-efficacy in parent-child management and communication skills. Results may help inform the development of more cost-effective and immediate prevention strategies for parents.