RURAL YOUTH AND FAMILY COMPETENCIES BUILDING PROJECT

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DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Abstract) The purpose of the proposed research is to conduct a longitudinal, controlled study of a theory-based, comprehensive intervention targeting rural youth and families. The trend toward increasing substance use and related problems among the targeted rural youth demonstrates the need for this research. The proposed study will draw upon results from several federally-funded projects at Iowa State University (ISU), Cornell University Medical College (CUMC), and the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC). These projects have resulted in the development of (a) a family and youth competency-building intervention, the separate components of which have previously shown strong parent and youth outcomes in ISU and CUMC research, and (b) promising family engagement strategies, based upon ISU and OSLC studies. The next stage in the program of research at ISU requires the rigorous intervention evaluation proposed in this application, guided by our family competency problem reduction model. Rural schools will be screened for high proportions of students from economically stressed families. Thirty-six of the schools meeting screening criteria will be randomly selected, matched, and randomly assigned to a combined family and school-based intervention, the school-based intervention alone, or a minimal contact control condition. Approximately 460 seventh graders in each condition (N = 1,380) will complete a school-based assessment; approximately 230 randomly selected students and their parents in each condition will complete in-home interviews, including videotaped family interactions(n = 690). The intervention will be initially implemented via ISU's Cooperative Extension Service when students are in the 7th grade and booster sessions will be conducted when they are in 8th grade. The proposed study will evaluate family- and peer-related risk and protective factors, as well as youth substance outcomes, at post-test, one year follow-up, and two year follow-up assessments, using multi method, multi-informant procedures. In addition to intervention-control comparisons on targeted substance-related outcomes (Aim 1), factors influencing family members' program participation and skills implementation will be systematically evaluated, using consumer research methods (Aim 2). In addition, modeling of intervention-related change mechanisms involving family and peer-related effects on outcomes will be conducted, expanding upon previously tested models (Aim 3). If multi component intervention efficacy is shown, the results of this and follow-up studies will guide the design of a demonstration project on intervention delivery assisted by the Cooperative Extension Service, dovetailing with a national Cooperative Extension initiative.