Preparing for parenthood: Validating a mixed method approach to assessing the coparenting capacity of young expectant fathers and mothers.

The transition to parenthood (TP) interview and coparenting capacity (CC) coding scheme is a mixed method approach to evaluating readiness for the interpersonal challenges of parenthood. This paper focuses on the validation of the TP-CC system with a diverse sample of 140 young expectant father/mother pairs. The TP interview is designed to assist expectant parents in expressing their thoughts and feelings about parenthood and coparenting and the CC coding scheme is designed to assess a new parent's capacity for expressing fondness, acceptance, growth, cohesion, and commitment in their relationship with their coparenting partner. Convergent validation of the TP-CC system involved measuring self- and partner-reported relationship quality, relationship security, and observed warmth and hostility during the pregnancy. Predictive validation focused on the same set of variables, measured at the 6-month postbirth follow-up. Results supported the convergent validity of the TP-CC system for mothers and fathers, with higher-specific CC scores correlating with higher relationship quality, relationship security and warmth scores, as well as lower hostility scores. Results partially supported predictive validity, with fathers' total CC scores predicting fathers' interpersonal hostility and mothers' relationship quality, relationship security, hostility, and warmth at follow-up. Consistently positive and significant correlations between both mothers and fathers prebirth and postbirth CC scores provide evidence for the test-retest reliability of the TP-CC system. Generally, findings demonstrate the potential utility of the TP-CC system for evaluating coparenting readiness across the transition to parenthood.

A randomized trial of culturally accommodated versus standard group treatment for Latina/o adolescents with substance use disorders: Posttreatment through 12-month outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Latina/o adolescents are at particular risk for substance use disorders (SUDs) and effective treatments are needed. Some critics indicate that standard evidence-based treatments may not meet the needs of Latina/o adolescents and culturally accommodated treatments are needed; however, few comparative studies have been conducted to test this assumption. This randomized trial was designed to test a standard group-based version of a cognitive-behavioral treatment (S-CBT) against its culturally accommodated equivalent (A-CBT) for a sample of Latina/o adolescents with SUDs. METHOD: Seventy Latina/o adolescents were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions and followed over 4 posttreatment time points with the last at 12-months. Generalized longitudinal mixed models for count data were conducted to evaluate treatment differences across time for adolescent substance use. The cultural variables ethnic identity, acculturation, and familism were included in the analysis as potential moderators of treatment outcome. RESULTS: A significant difference was found at the 12-month follow-up in favor of the culturally accommodated treatment (d = .92, 95% confidence interval, CI [.43, 1.42]) and parental familism moderated treatment outcome (d = .60, 95% CI [.12, 1.08]). CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that a culturally accommodated treatment differentially improved outcomes compared with that of its standard equivalent for a sample of Latina/o adolescents with SUDs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Cultural accommodation of group substance abuse treatment for Latino adolescents: Results of an RCT.

Comparative studies examining the difference between empirically supported substance abuse treatments versus their culturally accommodated counterparts with participants from a single ethnic minority group are frequently called for in the literature but infrequently conducted in practice. This randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of an empirically supported standard version of a group-based cognitive-behavioral treatment (S-CBT) to a culturally accommodated version (A-CBT) with a sample of Latino adolescents primarily recruited from the juvenile justice system. Development of the culturally accommodated treatment and testing was guided by the Cultural Accommodation Model for Substance Abuse Treatment (CAM-SAT). Seventy Latino adolescents (mean age = 15.2; 90% male) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 group-based treatment conditions (S-CBT = 36; A-CBT = 34) with assessments conducted at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up. Longitudinal Poisson mixed models for count data were used to conduct the major analyses. The primary outcome variable in the analytic models was the number of days any substance was used (including alcohol, except tobacco) in the past 90 days. In addition, the variables ethnic identity, familism, and acculturation were included as cultural moderators in the analysis. Although both conditions produced significant decreases in substance use, the results did not support a time by treatment condition interaction; however, outcomes were moderated by ethnic identity and familism. The findings are discussed with implications for research and practice within the context of providing culturally relevant treatment for Latino adolescents with substance use disorders.

Measuring ethnic identity in Latino adolescents with substance use disorders.

The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) is a frequently used instrument to assess the level of ethnic identity in adolescents. The factor structure of the MEIM has extensively been studied in diverse nonclinical samples, while research with clinical samples of adolescents is lacking. The purpose of the current study is to identify the factor structure of the MEIM in a clinical sample of Latino adolescents (N = 106) with substance use disorders. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to test three competing factor structure models of the MEIM. Results indicated that a six-item two-factor model best fit the data for Latino adolescents in this study. Implications of these results and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Young parenthood program: supporting positive paternal engagement through coparenting counseling.

OBJECTIVES: Because of their youth, adolescent parents often lack the interpersonal skills necessary to manage the relationship challenges involved in parenting, leaving them and their children vulnerable to the health risks associated with relational stress and conflict. The primary goal of this study was to test the efficacy of the Young Parenthood Program (YPP), a 10-week counseling program administered during pregnancy and designed to facilitate interpersonal skill development and positive parenting among adolescent parents. METHODS: Participants included 105 pregnant adolescents and their partners randomly assigned to YPP or treatment as usual. Assessments measured coparenting skills and parental functioning during the second trimester, 12 weeks after birth, and 18 months after birth. RESULTS: Results indicated that fathers completing YPP demonstrated more positive parenting than did fathers in the control group. Moreover, the positive outcomes in paternal functioning were mediated through changes in the mother's interpersonal skill development. CONCLUSIONS: Results supported the efficacy of this couples-focused, coparenting support program, particularly for facilitating positive paternal engagement. These findings underscored the relevance of including fathers in the delivery of maternal-child public health services.

Comparing culturally accommodated versus standard group CBT for Latino adolescents with substance use disorders: a pilot study.

Studies comparing empirically supported substance abuse treatments versus their culturally accommodated counterparts with participants from a specific ethnic minority group are lacking in the literature. To address this gap, this pilot study was conducted to compare the feasibility and relative efficacy of an empirically supported standard version of cognitive-behavioral substance abuse treatment (S-CBT) to a culturally accommodated version (A-CBT) with a sample of Latino adolescents. This study was guided by a Cultural Accommodation Model for Substance Abuse Treatment (CAM-SAT). Thirty-five Latino adolescents (mean age = 15.49) were randomly assigned to one of two 12-week group-based treatment conditions (S-CBT = 18; A-CBT = 17) with assessments conducted at pretreatment, posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. Results indicated similar retention and satisfaction rates for participants in both treatment conditions. In addition, participants in both conditions demonstrated significant decreases in substance use from pre- to posttreatment with slight increases at 3-month follow-up; however, substance use outcomes were moderated by two cultural variables: ethnic identity and familism. Implications of these findings within the context of conducting clinical trials with Latino adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

The Influence of Risk and Protective Factors on Adolescent Alcohol, Cannabis, and Electronic Cigarette Use.

The misuse of substances by adolescents is a serious public health concern in the United States, and the three most used substances by adolescents are alcohol, cannabis, and electronic cigarettes. In accordance with the Social Development Model, a better understanding of the risk and protective factors across these three substances can assist in predicting potential substance use as well as strategies for prevention. The purpose of the current study is to examine the similar or differential influence that a specific set of risk and protective factors (i.e., favorable attitudes toward substance use, perceived risk of harm, peer substance use, interaction with prosocial peers, parental favorable attitudes toward substance use, family management, perceived availability substances, and rewards for prosocial involvement) have on past 30-day alcohol, cannabis, and e-cigarette use by adolescents. The present study is based on a secondary data analysis of the 2019 Prevention Needs Assessment Survey, which is administered every two years in the State of Utah to a large sample of students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 grades. A subsample of students (n = 44,728) was included in the present analysis. Logistic regression was used to examine the predictive relation for the set of four risk and four protective factors on past 30-day use of alcohol, cannabis, and e-cigarette use. In general, the results indicated that endorsement of the four risk factors predicted increases in the use of each substance whereas endorsement of the four protective factors predicted decreases in use. Implications of these findings suggest that there may be more similarities in risk and protective factors across alcohol, cannabis, and electronic cigarettes than between them. In addition, this study adds to the budding literature on the risk and protective factors associated with adolescent e-cigarette use.

Cultural accommodation of substance abuse treatment for Latino adolescents.

Collaboration with community stakeholders is an often suggested step when integrating cultural variables into psychological treatments for members of ethnic minority groups. However, there is a dearth of literature describing how to accomplish this process within the context of substance abuse treatment studies. This article describes a qualitative study conducted through a series of focus groups with stakeholders in the Latino community. Data from focus groups were used by the researchers to guide the integration of cultural variables into an empirically supported substance abuse treatment for Latino adolescents currently being evaluated for efficacy. A model for culturally accommodating empirically supported treatments for ethnic minority participants is also described.

Generalizing treatment outcomes to externalizing behaviors for Latino/a adolescents with substance use disorders: A secondary analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Substance use treatment for adolescents may decrease not only substance use, but also other related outcomes such as externalizing behaviors. Although positively correlated to substance use in youth, externalizing behaviors are not commonly measured as outcomes in the context of substance use treatment. This study seeks to generalize the outcomes of substance use treatment to externalizing behaviors in a sample of Latino/a adolescents who participated in a randomized clinical trial. METHOD: Secondary data analysis was conducted using a longitudinal mixed model to test the outcomes of two versions of a cognitive-behavioral substance use treatment (i.e., standard and culturally accommodated) on externalizing behaviors. Participants were Latino/a adolescents (N = 70) diagnosed with a substance use disorder randomized into one of the two study conditions. RESULTS: The results indicated that Latino/a adolescents in both treatment conditions significantly decreased in self-reported externalizing behaviors from pretreatment to 12-months posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Implications from this study suggest that participation in substance use treatment for Latino/a adolescents may also generalize to other outcomes such as externalizing behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Predictive validity of the SOCRATES in a clinical sample of Latina/o adolescents.

The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) is a widely used measure of a client's motivation to change their substance use behavior. It is comprised of 3 subscales, recognition, ambivalence, and taking steps, which correspond to one's awareness, uncertainty, and behavior relative to their substance use. Typically the measure has been examined in adult treatment samples, whereas less attention has been paid to its use with adolescents, especially racial/ethnic minority youth. The purpose of the current study was to test the predictive validity of the SOCRATES subscales on posttreatment substance use levels with a clinical sample of Latina/o adolescents (N = 105) in substance use treatment. Hypotheses were tested via generalized linear models for each of the 3 subscales. Results indicated that higher scores on the Taking Steps subscale of the SOCRATES at pretreatment were predictive of lower days of substance use after treatment for adolescents in the sample. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The influence of attitudes, acculturation, and gender on substance use for Mexican American middle school students.

The present study tested if current drug use was related to acculturation (measured by language spoken at home), gender, or youth attitudes towards drugs in a large sample of 8th grade, predominantly Mexican American, Hispanic youth. The data were obtained via self-report survey from 2964 Hispanic youth in 108 schools. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to test if acculturation, gender, or youth attitudes towards drugs predicted past 30-day use of alcohol, inhalant, or marijuana use and assess school-level influences. Acculturation and gender interacted with attitudes towards drugs to predict current alcohol use. Gender interacted with attitudes towards drugs to predict current alcohol and inhalant use. Having positive attitudes towards drugs was related to increased substance use for all three drug types. Hispanic eighth grade girls had significantly higher use rates than boys for both alcohol and inhalants. Additional research is needed to better understand the influence of acculturation on substance use among Hispanic youth.

Perceived competence in addressing student substance abuse: a national survey of middle school counselors.

BACKGROUND: Student substance abuse is a serious concern for middle school personnel. School counselors are most likely to deliver mental health services, including substance abuse, in school settings. However, limited research is available on the perceived competence of middle school counselors for addressing student substance abuse concerns. The main purpose of this study was to determine how middle school counselors perceive their training in 9 competence areas related to student substance abuse. A secondary aim of this study was to identify which training areas counselors indicate as being most needed to address student substance abuse. METHODS: A survey study was conducted that included a national sample of 283 middle school counselors. Analysis of variance was used to determine differences between 9 competency areas rated by counselors. Further analysis was conducted to determine which training areas were most important to counselors. RESULTS: Counselors varied in their perceived competence depending on the specific area of student substance abuse; however, they were clearly able to identify the most important areas of training needed. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings from this study indicate that middle school counselors require more training in the area of student substance abuse. Specifically, this study provides information on the most important areas of training as identified by counselors.

Readiness to change in adults waiting for publicly funded substance abuse treatment.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the factor structure of a modified version of the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) for a sample of indigent adults with alcohol and other drug problems. A community sample of 338 adults on waiting lists for entrance into publicly funded substance abuse treatment completed a 19-item modified version of the SOCRATES. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two structural models of the SOCRATES based on prior literature. The results indicated that a two-factor model of the SOCRATES provided the best fit for the data in this study. Suggestions for future research using a modified version of this measure are discussed.

The influence of cultural variables on treatment retention and engagement in a sample of Mexican American adolescent males with substance use disorders.

Adolescent substance abuse is a serious public health concern, and in response to this problem, a number of effective treatment approaches have been developed. Despite this, retaining and engaging adolescents in treatment are 2 major challenges continuously faced by practitioners and clinical researchers. Low retention and engagement rates are especially salient for ethnic minority adolescents because they are at high risk for underutilization of substance abuse treatment compared to their White peers. Latino adolescents, in particular, are part of the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States and experience high rates of substance use disorders. Heretofore, the empirical examination of cultural factors that influence treatment retention and engagement has been lacking in the literature. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the cultural variables ethnic identity, familism, and acculturation on the retention and engagement of Latino adolescents participating in substance abuse treatment. This study used data collected from a sample of Latino adolescent males (N = 96), predominantly of Mexican descent, and largely recruited from the juvenile justice system. Analysis was conducted using generalized regression models for count variables. Results indicated that higher levels of exploration, a subfactor of ethnic identity, and familism were predictive of attendance and engagement. In contrast, higher levels of Anglo orientation, a subfactor of acculturation, were predictive of lower treatment attendance and engagement. Clinical implications for the variables of ethnic identity, acculturation, and familism as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Identifying the factor structure of the SOCRATES in a sample of Latino adolescents.

The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) is a frequently used measure to assess client motivation to change an alcohol use problem. The factor structure of this measure has most extensively been studied in samples of adult clients with alcohol use disorders with very little research conducted with adolescents or ethnic minority participants. The purpose of the current study is to determine if the factor structure of the SOCRATES (Version 8A-Alcohol) found in prior research can be generalized to a sample of Latino adolescents with substance use disorders. Latino adolescents (N = 106) were administered the SOCRATES and assessed for alcohol use at a pretreatment baseline assessment as part of a larger study. Competing factor models were tested and results via confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a 14-item two factor model best fit the data for the Latino adolescents in this sample. In addition, scores on the Taking Steps factor predicted alcohol use variables. Implications for these results and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Resilience in a sample of Mexican American adolescents with substance use disorders.

Resolving the many tasks of adolescent development requires resilience. However, understanding the role that resilience plays in adolescent development involves adequate measurement of the construct. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) is a widely used measure of resilience, but a stable latent factor structure has not been identified across studies. The measure has typically been examined in adult samples while little attention has been given to its use with adolescents in general and ethnic minority adolescents in particular. The primary purpose of the current study is to identify a latent factor structure of the CD-RISC in a sample of primarily Mexican American adolescents (N = 106). Two competing model structures were tested via confirmatory factor analysis and results supported a 7-item unidimensional factor model. Support was also found for the construct validity of the measure in relation to ethnic identity and depressive symptoms for adolescents in this sample. Implications of the study findings for adolescents and avenues of future research are discussed.

Relationship between perceived and actual frequency represented by common rating scale labels.

Two experiments investigated the relationship between subjective interpretation of frequency terms and corresponding objective values. Evidence supported the existence of a nonlinear relationship that is well described by a logarithmic function. The general form of this relationship was consistent across different methods of eliciting subjective frequency estimates and different frequency response scales. These findings, in combination with prior research, suggest that individuals can be highly accurate in reporting the frequency of prior experiences but that subjective reports using common frequency response scales and scoring methods should not be taken to reflect equal intervals of actual frequency. This bears similarity to psychophysical relationships observed between sensation and stimulus intensity, and it has implications for the interpretation and analysis of self-report measures that use Likert-type frequency response scales.