Informing Cultural Adaptation of a Parent-Based Intervention for African American Youth



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcohol abuse and alcohol-related consequences among emerging adults continue to be a public health concern throughout the United States. Epidemiological data indicate alcohol use peaks during this stage of life, including prevalence rates of heavy drinking, alcohol dependence, and alcohol-related problems. However, racial group differences in developmental patterns of alcohol use and related consequences have been found, indicating that African American emerging adults mature out of high-risk drinking at slower rates compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Moreover, African American youth are more likely to experience negative consequences due to heavy drinking, such as involvement with the criminal justice system and risky sexual behavior. Despite these disparities, few preventative interventions have been developed to target culturally specific risk and protective factors that are associated with high-risk alcohol use among African American emerging adults. The proposed research addresses this gap through an etiological study that will inform the cultural adaptation of an established parent-based intervention (PBI) to African American youth and their families. Guided by a theoretical model of parent communication, we will conduct secondary analyses on data from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), which covers the ages from 10 to 25 years and is the largest African American family panel study to date. Three research aims will be addressed. Aim 1 examines the theoretical model underlying the PBI in order to establish mediating mechanisms (e.g., changes in alcohol- related attitudes) through which parenting communication behaviors and style influence patterns of high-risk drinking and related consequences among a sample of African American emerging adults. Aim 2 extends the theoretical model to include unique risk and protective mechanisms (e.g., parents' use of racial socialization strategies, youths' perceptions of PRD) that represent future opportunities to expand the PBI to more effectively prevent high-risk drinking among African American emerging adults. Aim 3 aligns the quantitative results of Aims 1 and 2 with specific content of the PBI and will guide our future decisions about how to best integrate cultural-specific constructs in order to adapt the PBI for African American families and youth.