AMES, Iowa -- Family-focused intervention programs can have long-lasting effects in reducing substance abuse and aggressive behavior according to Iowa State University research. Dick Spoth, Institute for Social and Behavioral Research scientist, said researchers found a reduction in behavioral problems when brief skills training programs were offered to families in southern Iowa.

"We wanted to implement and evaluate programs that could be used easily on a widespread basis," Spoth said. "If proven effective, this type of preventive intervention could have an important impact on public health."

In 1993, ISU researchers began conducting projects to evaluate the effects of family-focused preventive interventions in reducing both aggressive behavior and substance use. Two interventions were evaluated. The first was the seven-session Iowa Strengthening Families Program and the second was the five-session Preparing for the Drug Free Years Program. Both programs are designed to reduce problem behaviors and strengthen family skills.

"We found that family-skills training programs designed for a general population could reduce aggressive behavior and substance use by middle- and high-school students," Spoth said.

The interventions were evaluated in a study involving 667 families. The families were evaluated four years after the first intervention assessment when the children entered the 10th grade. Spoth said students in one or both of the intervention groups were using less alcohol, tobacco and marijuana when compared to the control group. The results will be published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology this summer.

The results may offer solutions to parents and educators who are concerned about some disturbing statistics. In 1998, 54 percent of the eighth graders across the United States had tried alcohol and 25 percent reported getting drunk at least once.

"Lifetime alcohol dependence rates among those who begin alcohol use by age 14 are four times higher than those who use alcohol at age 20," Spoth said. "Our cost-benefit research suggests that a substantial amount of money could be saved by investing in family-focused programs."

In a second study, the Iowa Strengthening Families Program was evaluated. The study involved 446 families and intervention training included communication and problem solving skills for both parents and children.

The children were interviewed in 10th grade, four years after the first intervention assessment. The results showed reduced levels of aggressive and hostile behavior. About 25 percent of the students in the control group had one or more aggressive incidents, compared with 15 percent of the students who participated in the intervention. The results were published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

---Iowa State University

Back to The Science of Mental Health