Predictors of the Family Competence in the Long-Term. Longitudinal Analysis of the Strengthening Families Program 7-12 in Spain (Family Competence Program)

Introduction: The family competence -understood as an aggregated effect out of validated scales about family organization, parent-child relationships, positive parenting, among others- is expected to last along two years for the families that participated in the Family Competence Program (FCP). Family Competence Program 7-12 is the adaptation of the Strengthening Families Program 6-11 for Spain (selective prevention). Adapted and validated, it has been implemented in 45 applications since 2004, both in a drug treatment program and in social services in Spain.

The objective of the current proposal is to gage the influence on the family competence of potential predictors such as family vulnerability, age of parents and children, and participation in the program.

Method: 24-month follow-up study with a sample of 155 families at risk. Quasi-experimental design, with a control group. Instruments are Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) and the Karol Kumpfer’s questionnaires for parents and children (the latter being the evaluation instruments for the benchmark application). Both BASC and Kumpfer’s questionnaires have been validated for the Spanish population.

The aggregated index “Family competence” is constructed out of 10 factors: family resistance, parent-child relationships, family organization, positive parenting, parental skills, family implication, family cohesion, control of school problems, social skills and capacity of setting limits. Each factor has a weight of the 10% in the total index and factor range is from 0 to 500.

Also for the procedure, a Cox regression analysis is undertaken, as a useful survival analysis for this follow-up study. It allows us to gage the level of change along time and to see the influence of the predictors in the presence or absence of the family competence. Predictors are: age of children, age of parents, family vulnerability and level of participation at the FCP.

Results: At the follow-up, family competence presents a good result both in the drug treatment program (Mean= 362,48/SD= 34,27) and in social services (Mean= 339,08/SD= 38,74).

In drug treatment program, in the Cox regression of the associated predictors with the long-term maintenance of the family competence, Hazard rate ratio of the level of participation at the program is Exp (B)=1,123. In social services, Hazard rate ratio of the level of participation at the program is Exp (B)=1,066.

Conclusion: Influence of the participation in the long-term (24 month follow-up).  Participation in the program is a predictor of maintenance of the results in the long-term. This is especially relevant being the context one of selective prevention. Family involvement techniques and the role of facilitators are important for the participation and retention of the families in the program.