Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of an Adaptive Parenting Intervention for Immigrant Latino Families

Introduction: Parenting programs are an effective strategy to prevent multiple risky outcomes during adolescence, including substance use, sexually transmitted infections, and teen pregnancies. Parenting programs that engage two parents (when available) have reported better outcomes. However, these programs are often only attended by mothers. This study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an adaptive parenting intervention for immigrant Latino families that considered the preferences of non-attenders (primarily fathers) to an existing parenting program.

Methods: A pre-post proof-of-concept study was conducted. Fifteen immigrant Latino families with an adolescent child aged 10-14 were recruited. Two-parent families received a home visit recruitment intervention. All families participated in an adaptive parenting program that included group sessions and an individual component (online videos plus follow-up phone calls) for those who could not attend the group sessions. The intervention components addressed positive parenting practices, was family and strengths-focused, delivered some content separately for mothers and fathers, and enabled participants to choose additional contents. Primary outcomes were the proportion of fathers enrolled and proportion of the intervention received. Secondary outcomes were change in parenting practices and satisfaction. Facilitators recorded attendance. Participants completed questionnaires and interaction tasks before and after participating in the intervention. Significant change was a-priori defined as an effect size of 0.3 or larger. In addition, participants and program facilitators completed individual interviews to assess satisfaction with the program components.

Results: Overall, 23 participants (15 mothers and 8 fathers) participated in the intervention; 73% of two-parent families enrolled with a father. All participants completed 75% or more of the intervention. Fathers were more likely to use the individual component of the intervention than mothers (p=0.038). Parent self-reports showed significant improvements in parenting practices that were not confirmed by youth reports or interaction tasks at the a-priory defined significance level. Effect sizes of this study were larger compared to the trial evaluating the original intervention for parental communication (0.83 vs. 0.52), consistent discipline (0.87 vs. 0.50), and involvement (0.78 vs. 0.35). There was high satisfaction for all program components, including the recruitment intervention, the group sessions and the online videos plus follow-up phone calls.

Conclusions: Parenting interventions that are designed to include preferences of non-attenders engage a higher number of fathers and mothers. These interventions can have greater impact at reducing adolescent risky behaviors. This intervention holds promise for evaluation in a large randomized controlled trial.