Based on Research Conducted at OSLC
A collaboration between Centro LatinoAmericano and the OSLC Latino Research Team to address gaps in prevention science and intervention services in the local Latino community.
Project Overview
The Latino population is the fastest growing ethnic subgroup in the U.S. While epidemiological data support that Latino youth are at no greater risk for substance use than the general youth population, some data indicate that they might be at greater risk for the co-morbid effects and consequences of substance use (e.g., school failure, incarceration, poor health). Prevention efforts have identified a number of within-group contextual factors involved in the etiology of substance use among Latino youth including family socioeconomic status, nativity status, acculturation processes, acculturation stress, and structural barriers. Theoretical models suggest that such contextual factors exert their effects on youngsters indirectly, by impacting more proximal variables. Parenting practices have been conceptualized as the most proximal influence in child adjustment. While parenting training interventions have demonstrated efficacy in reducing substance use and its antecedents, these approaches have not been developed or evaluated within culturally specific contexts.
This study was a product of an ongoing collaboration between the OSLC Latino Research Team and Centro LatinoAmericano (the largest social services agency for Latino families in the local area) to address significant gaps in prevention science and intervention services to evaluate and address the needs of Latino families with youngsters at risk for substance use and related problems. Our project was based on a community empowerment model and involves active collaboration and partnership in addressing project goals. The aims of the project were to (1) develop a culturally specific parent training intervention for Latino families with youngsters at risk for substance use and related problems, (2) evaluate implementation feasibility and initial efficacy of the intervention in a pilot study, (3) develop and refine measurement methods for assessing Latino individual family processes, and (4) test an integrative theoretical model that hypothesizes how social and acculturation contexts, family stress processes, and parenting practices are linked to predict Latino youngster adjustment.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse