The purpose of this developmental / exploratory R2 1 proposal is to address a significant gap in the prevention literature about efficacious interventions for Latino families with youngsters at risk for substance use. 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. We need to develop and pilot test such interventions in order to advance knowledge about the prevention of substance use and related problems among Latino youth. Such an effort will set the stage for a more comprehensive program of research to fully evaluate intervention efficacy. Our project is based on a community empowerment model and will involve active collaboration and partnership in addressing project goals.
The aims of the project are 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 a integrative theoretical model that hypothesizes how social and acculturation contexts, family stress processes, and parenting practices are linked to predict Latino youngster adjustment.
| Martinez, Charles R; McClure, Heather H; Eddy, J Mark (2009) Language Brokering Contexts and Behavioral and Emotional Adjustment among Latino Parents and Adolescents. J Early Adolesc 29:71-98 |
| Martinez Jr, Charles R; Eddy, J Mark (2005) Effects of culturally adapted parent management training on Latino youth behavioral health outcomes. J Consult Clin Psychol 73:841-51 |
