Increasing the Effects of Keepin'it REAL: How a Culturally-Specific Mexican American Parenting Intervention Can Mediate Long-Term Adolescent Substance Use Outcomes

Background and Purpose: Latino youth have higher rates of alcohol and other drug use in the US. In response, researchers and practitioners have begun efforts to effectively strengthen protective factors and reduce risk for substance use and other problem behaviors.   The purpose of this study  is to test the long-term efficacy trial results of a culturally-specific parenting intervention called Familias: Preparando la Nueva Generación (Families: Preparing the New Generation [FPNG]), which was designed to increase the effects of keepin’it REAL (kiR), an efficacious school-based drug abuse prevention intervention targeting middle school students.

Methods: Randomized at the school-level, this analysis focuses on parents and youth in six schools assigned into either: (1) youth-only condition -receiving only kiR- (Y), and (2) parent + youth condition,-receiving FPNG and kiR- (PY).  We hypothesized that at the long-term follow-up, at the end of adolescents’ 8^th grade year (e.g. one year after immediate post-test); adolescents who participated in kiR and whose parents also participated in FPNG (PY condition) will report lowered substance use compared to adolescents who only participated in kiR (Y condition).

Results: Using a path analysis framework,  results indicate that adolescents in the PY condition had lowered alcohol and cigarette use compared to the Y condition adolescents; however, the effects were mediated through anti-drug norms. Adolescents in the PY condition had stronger anti-drug norms which resulted in lowered alcohol amount (Indirect Effect: β =-.054, p<.05), alcohol frequency (Indirect Effect: β =-.063, p<.05), cigarette amount (Indirect Effect: β =-.051, p<.10), and cigarette frequency (Indirect Effect: β =-.050, p<.10).

Conclusion: These results are consistent with the Ecodevelopmental Theory- family plays a crucial role in buffering the risks an adolescent may experience in their neighborhood, at school and among their peers. Findings from this study provide further evidence that strengthening the bond between the adolescent and the family can promotes successful transmission of substance use norms, thus reducing youth substance use. Involving parents in Familias: Preparando la Nueva Generación has a major effect in strengthening the efficacy of the classroom based intervention, keepin’it REAL.  The culturally specific nature of the intervention is also identified as contributing to the strong boost given by the parent component to the original child-focused intervention.  Because FPNG was designed with Latino parents and for Latino parents, FPNG is emerging as a curriculum that can positively impact familial and parent-child influences that characterize Latino youth and families and reduce substance use among Latino adolescents.