Session: Abstracts of Distinction: Measuring and Optimizing Engagement in Preventive Interventions for Youth and Families of Color (Society for Prevention Research 25th Annual Meeting)

Participant engagement is a critical feature of implementation that has received relatively limited attention in prevention science. Participant engagement signals responsivity and uptake of program components, and thus not surprisingly, has been linked with improved outcomes. Yet less is known about methods for effectively measuring engagement in preventive interventions and, perhaps more importantly, strategies for improving it. These issues may be particularly relevant for youth and families of color, as they may require more culturally relevant strategies to fully engage in preventive interventions. The current panel presents three original studies drawing upon data from preventive interventions delivered in schools, two of which are focused on youth and the third on families; all three studies leverage data from ethnically diverse participants to better understand the role of engagement in preventive interventions.

The first paper draws upon data from youth participating in the early adolescent version of the Coping Power indicated preventive intervention. These data come from youth at 10 intervention schools which are testing the efficacy of Coping Power as a part of a larger 40 school randomized controlled trial (62% male; 75% African American). This paper aims to better understand engagement from a physiological perspective by leveraging data on heart rate variability and skin conductance (as measured by a Fitbit-like wristband device) in relation to self and clinician ratings of engagement.

The second paper draws upon data from the Making Connections Intervention (MCI), which intends to engage Black adolescents with depression in school-based mental health services. MCI is conceptualized within this study as an approach to increasing treatment engagement and completion.

The third paper shifts the panel’s focus onto parents, most of whom were from Mexican American families located in low-income, urban communities. Parents received the Triple P evidence-based parenting program, along with strategies aimed at improving engagement in Triple P. The paper found that perceived obstacles, perceived control, and attitudes toward Triple P were linked with engagement, which in turn were impacted by the engagement optimization strategies implemented through the program.

Central themes and findings, such as those related to conceptualization and measurement of engagement, as well as strategies to optimize engagement, will be highlighted by a senior prevention scientist with expertise in engagement and implementation science. Areas for future research and implications for preventive interventions will be discussed.