Prevention Science
Volume 4, Issue 3, 2003, Pages 189-201

Familias unidas: The efficacy of an intervention to promote parental investment in Hispanic immigrant families (Article)

Pantin H.* , Coatsworth J.D. , Feaster D.J. , Newman F.L. , Briones E. , Prado G. , Schwartz S.J. , Szapocznik J.
  • a Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States, Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, 1425 N.W. 10th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • b Dept. of Hum. Devmt. and Fam. Studs., Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
  • c Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
  • d Dept. of Hlth. Serv. Administration, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, United States
  • e Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
  • f Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
  • g Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States
  • h Center for Family Studies, Dept. of Psychiat. and Behav. Sci., Univ. of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States

Abstract

This paper reports a test of the efficacy of Familias Unidas, a Hispanic-specific, ecologically focused, parent-centered preventive intervention, in promoting protection against and reducing risk for adolescent behavior problems. Specifically, the intervention was designed to foster parental investment, reduce adolescent behavior problems, and promote adolescent school bonding/academic achievement, all protective factors against drug abuse and delinquency. One-hundred sixty seven Hispanic families of 6th and 7th grade students from three South Florida public schools were stratified by grade within school and randomly assigned to intervention and no-intervention control conditions. Results indicated that Familias Unidas was efficacious in increasing parental investment and decreasing adolescent behavior problems, but that it did not significantly impact adolescent school bonding/academic achievement. Summer-vacation rates of adolescent behavior problems were six times higher in the control condition than in the intervention condition. Furthermore, change in parental investment during the intervention was predictive of subsequent levels of adolescent behavior problems. The findings suggest that Familias Unidas is efficacious in promoting protection and reducing risk for adolescent problem behaviors in poor immigrant Hispanic families.

Author Keywords

Hispanic Adolescents prevention Parental investment Family

Index Keywords

immigrant controlled clinical trial health promotion clinical trial randomization human controlled study Substance-Related Disorders randomized controlled trial child behavior Hispanic Americans Mental Disorders academic achievement mental disease student school child family Humans Hispanic Adolescent male female Parenting Article behavior disorder Adolescent Behavior migration drug abuse Juvenile Delinquency Emigration and Immigration addiction delinquency risk reduction child parent relation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-1542783427&doi=10.1023%2fA%3a1024601906942&partnerID=40&md5=3970baea01c371efa2c6e8572edc876c
DOI: 10.1023/A:1024601906942
ISSN: 13894986
Cited by: 137
Original Language: English