A Family Intervention for Adolescent Problem Behavior (AKA Project Alliance 2)
PAL-2
1 other identifier
interventional
593
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The goal of this project is to empirically refine and improve a comprehensive family-centered prevention strategy for reducing and preventing adolescent substance use and other problem behaviors. This project builds on 15 years of programmatic research underlying the development of the Family Check-up model (FCU), originally referred to as the Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP; Dishion \& Kavanagh, 2003), but later expanded as a general approach to mental health treatment for children from ages 2 through 17 (Dishion \& Stormshak, 2007). The FCU model is a multilevel, family-centered strategy delivered within the context of a public school setting that comprehensively links universal, selected, and indicated family interventions. Previous research and the investigators' practical experience working in school settings indicate that the intervention strategy needs improvement in 3 critical areas to build on previous significant effects and to enhance the potential for future dissemination and large-scale implementation:(a) improve the feasibility of both the universal level and the indicated level of the intervention by broadening the intervention components and systematically embedding these components into the current behavioral support systems in the schools; (b) address the transition from middle school to high school, with special attention to academic engagement and reduction of deviant peer clustering; and (c) explicitly incorporate principals of successful interventions with families and young adolescents of diverse ethnic groups into both the universal and indicated models. An additional general goal of this study is to develop, test, and refine a set of research-based instruments that facilitate evaluation, training, implementation, and monitoring of intervention fidelity to maximize the potential success of implementation and large-scale dissemination. Participants include 593 youth and their families recruited from the 6th grade in three public middle schools in Portland, OR. Families were randomly assigned to receive either the FCU intervention model or treatment as usual. Assessments were collected for 5 years through the 10th grade. High school transition planning and intensive intervention efforts occurred in Grades 7-9. The investigators tested the hypothesis that the FCU intervention will reduce the growth of problem behavior and substance use through the enhancement of family management and parent involvement in school.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Feb 2006
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
February 1, 2006
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
January 1, 2010
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
March 1, 2011
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
August 16, 2011
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
December 12, 2011
CompletedDecember 12, 2011
December 1, 2011
3.9 years
August 16, 2011
December 8, 2011
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (3)
growth in substance use
The Student Survey was collected from all youth, regardless of treatment condition, annually across 6th-10th grades. It includes 6 questions about the frequency with which the adolescent used 5 substances in the last month: cigarettes, chewing tobacco or snuff, alcohol (overall quantity and most at one time), marijuana or hashish, and other hard drugs. Growth curve modeling will be used to represent change in substance use across time.
5 time points (6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade). Avg time between t1 and t2 was 15.1 mo.; avg time between t2 and t3 was 11.9 mo.; avg time between t3 and t4 was 11.4 mo.; avg time between t4 and t5 was 11.6 mo.
growth in antisocial behavior
The Student Survey was collected from all youth, regardless of treatment condition, annually across 6th-10th grades. It includes youth reports of engagement in antisocial behavior during the past month, measured by averaging across 11 items on a 6-point scale ranging from "never" to "more than 20 times" during the past month. The items included content such as lying to parents, staying out all night without permission, stealing, carrying a weapon, and physical aggression. Growth curve modeling will be used to represent change in antisocial behavior across time.
5 time points (6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade). Avg time between t1 and t2 was 15.1 mo.; avg time between t2 and t3 was 11.9 mo.; avg time between t3 and t4 was 11.4 mo.; avg time between t4 and t5 was 11.6 mo.
growth in deviant peer involvement
The Student Survey was collected from all youth, regardless of treatment condition, annually across 6th-10th grades. It includes youth reports of the behavior of the friends with whom they have spent the most time in the past month. Youth are asked how many of these friends have engaged in 11 behaviors in the past month, using a 5-point scale ranging from "none" to "4 or more." The items include content such as selling illegal drugs, carrying a knife or handgun, and getting arrested. Growth curve modeling will be used to represent change in deviant peer involvement across time.
5 time points (6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade). Avg time between t1 and t2 was 15.1 mo.; avg time between t2 and t3 was 11.9 mo.; avg time between t3 and t4 was 11.4 mo.; avg time between t4 and t5 was 11.6 mo.
Secondary Outcomes (2)
growth in family management skills
3 time points (7th grade, summer after 8th grade, and 10th grade). Average time between t1 and t2 was 15.4 months; average time between t2 and t3 was 17.0 months.
positive change in family relationship quality
3 time points (7th grade, summer after 8th grade, and 10th grade). Average time between t1 and t2 was 15.4 months; average time between t2 and t3 was 17.0 months.
Study Arms (2)
FCU offered
EXPERIMENTALNo feedback or services offered
NO INTERVENTIONInterventions
The Family Check-Up starts with a rapport-building session that allows therapists to gauge parents' concerns and motivation for change. This is followed by a thorough assessment of individual family strengths and weaknesses, utilizing parent and child questionnaires and family video observations. Parents then receive feedback on the results of the assessment using motivational interviewing techniques. Attention is focused on parents' and children's readiness to change, as well as the delineation of specific change options. Families may continued to receive tailored intervention services using the Everyday Parenting Curriculum.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Parents of all sixth grade students across 2 cohorts at 3 public middle schools were invited to participate in this study.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- University of Oregonlead
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)collaborator
Study Sites (1)
University of Oregon-Child and Family Center
Portland, Oregon, 97232, United States
Related Publications (1)
Seidman S, Danzo S, Connell A, Stormshak E. The Family Check-Up and Youth Suicide: Assessing Indirect Effects of Improving Self-Regulation and Reducing Depression in Promoting Long-Term Resilience. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2025 Jun;55(3):e70029. doi: 10.1111/sltb.70029.
PMID: 40470833DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Elizabeth A Stormshak, PhD
University of Oregon
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Thomas J Dishion, PhD
University of Oregon
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Kathryn A Kavanagh, PhD
University of Oregon
- STUDY DIRECTOR
Allison S Caruthers, PhD
University of Oregon
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
August 16, 2011
First Posted
December 12, 2011
Study Start
February 1, 2006
Primary Completion
January 1, 2010
Study Completion
March 1, 2011
Last Updated
December 12, 2011
Record last verified: 2011-12