Results of the Family Drug Preventive Intervention Universal Family Competence Program 11-14 in Spain

Introduction: Universal Family Competence Program (PCF-U, after their initials in Spanish) is an evidence-based family drug preventive intervention with duration of 6 sessions (5 sessions plus one intro and motivation session). This program is a result of the deliberations of the working group of the Spanish National Plan on Drugs (PNSD, in Spanish) on the design of a universal family intervention. Their objectives are reduction or prevention of substance use, promotion of family relationships, promotion of parenting skills, and increase of children personal and social skills.

Method: Randomized experimental design with control group. Initial sample 275 families of which the 90.55% ended (control group= 110 families; of which the 86.36% ended). Instruments are the Questionnaire about Drug Attitudes, instrument used by the PNSD, the Behavior Attitudes Scale (BASC) (validated for the Spanish population) and the Karol Kumpfer’s questionnaires used in the Strengthening Families Program. Pretest-posttest comparison results are presented; a 6-month follow-up is underway.

Results: Parents present significant improvements in 9 of the 14 family scales considered, in family conflict (SE=0.224; p=0.032), positive parenting (SE=0.272; p=0.009), resilience (SE=0.516; p=0.000), family engagement (SE=0.266; p=0.008), child attention problems (SE=0.239; p=0.035), anxiety (SE=0.265; p=0.009); somatization (SE=0.265; p=0.007), problem internalization (SE=0.298; p=0.003). Regarding substance use attitudes, results in change of child attitudes are small and non-significant: readiness for consumption (t=0.332; p=0.740); wrong beliefs (t=0.401; p=0.689); protective beliefs (t=-1.193; p=0.234).

Discussion: According to parents, change results in family skills of both parents and children are quite positive. When analyzing child attitudes towards substance use, changes contribute with some added value, but they are minimal and non-significant. These may be due to the fact that initial attitudes, prior to intervention, were already quite correct and normalized. Cluster analysis will be implemented to know which groups are benefited the most of all these changes. Initial results of this universal family evidence-based program first designed by the Spanish PNSD working group on universal prevention are positive.