This application proposes to study the impact of school-based family interventions for preventing substance abuse and other problem behaviors in young adolescents. The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) has been found to be effective in improving the observed parent-child interaction process, as well as reducing tobacco use and antisocial behavior among high-risk young adolescents (Dishion & Andrews, 1995; Dishion, Andres, Kavanagh, & Soberman, 1996; Irvine, Biglan, Smolkowski, Metzler, & Ary, 1999). The research to date has used experimental designs with random assignment at the individual level to test program effectiveness. The next generation of this program of research is to systematically study the ecological conditions necessary to maximally engage families in need of intervention support in early adolescence in the context of the public school system. By randomly assigning 8 middle schools to an ecologically-enhanced versus standard intervention model, we specifically propose to examine the effectiveness of family and parenting programs administered as school-based services. The proposed research will measure family engagement in services, as well as target specific outcomes for adolescents (e.g., substance use). The program will target the school population, resulting in about 1200 participants each year across the 8 middle schools. The results of this research have implications for the implementation of future family services at the school level, as well as future prevention programs aimed at reducing substance use among early adolescents.
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