Family-based Affect Management Intervention for System-Impacted Adolescents

Description of Intervention or Resource

System-impacted adolescents experience high rates of psychiatric, substance use, and sexual health treatment needs. Family-based interventions have been successful in improving these outcomes among system-impacted adolescents, and emotion dysregulation may be an important and understudied underlying construct of these co-occurring risk behaviors.

Led by Marina Tolou-Shams, Ph.D. and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K23DA021532) a randomized pilot efficacy trial of Project RAP (Risk reduction for Adolescents and Parents) was conducted with 47 caregiver-adolescent dyads enrolled in a juvenile drug court program. Participating adolescents were on average 15.7 years old, 75% male, and identified as 65% white, 10% African American, 3% Asian, 23% other, and 17% Hispanic. Participating caregivers were primarily female (87%) and biological parents (96%). Dyads were randomized either to a 5-session family-based integrated substance use and HIV/STI prevention intervention (Family-based Affect Management Intervention; FAMI) that taught adolescents and caregivers affect management strategies for risk reduction, or an adolescent-only psychoeducation condition matched for time and attention. Data collected at baseline and 3 months post-intervention suggested RAP-FAMI may enhance adolescent motivation to change their cannabis use and leads to reductions in cannabis use and risky sexual behavior over time.

This intervention was also adapted for telehealth delivery and to meet the needs of adolescents directly involved in the child welfare system through the Family Telehealth Project, with funding from the Visa Foundation and the American Psychology-Law Society. Adolescents, ages 12-18 years, and their caregivers of origin were eligible to participate in either a dyadic intervention or a caregiver-only intervention (for caregivers of origin, kinship caregivers, or foster parents). The intervention was also translated into Spanish and culturally adapted for Latinx populations through iterative feedback from families and clinicians. Preliminary data suggests the English and Spanish versions of the intervention are feasible to deliver over telehealth and acceptable to family participants. Clinical outcome data is forthcoming.

Population of Focus: Latinx

Date: 2023