ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS: PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP, FIELD-TEST, AND REFINE A MEDIA-BASED FAMILY PROGRAM TO PROMOTE HEALTHY ADOLESCENT ADJUSTMENT. PARENT/ADOLESCENT SKILLS WILL BE THE FOCUS OF VIDEOTAPES AND MANUALS THAT COULD BE USED (1) IN PREVENTION TRIALS WITH LARGE SAMPLES OF UNSELECTED OR AT-RISK FAMILIES AND (2) AS ADJUNCT MATERIALS FOR CLINICIANSTO USE IN TREATING DISTURBED FAMILIES. IN PHASE I, ONE MODULE, A VIDEOTAPE AND ACCOMPANYING BROCHURE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE SPECIFIC ACADEMIC SKILLS FOR ADOLESCENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WILL BE PRODUCED AND PILOT-TESTED. PRE-AND POSTINTERVENTION DATA FROM PARENTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND SCHOOL RECORDS WILL BE EVALUATED FOREXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. HOMEWORK PRACTICE AND QUALITY, ON-TASK CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR, GRADES, ATTENDANCE, DISCIPLINE CONTACTS, AND CHILD SELF-ESTEEM WILL SERVE AS DEPENDENT VARIABLES. CONSUMER SATISFACTION WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED. IN PHASE II, ADDITIONAL AND RELATED MODULES WILL BE DEVELOPED AND PILOT-TESTED, AND FINALLY, THE SET OF MODULES WILL BE FIELD-TESTED. MODULES WILL FOCUS ON PROBABLE DETERMINANTS FOR ADOLESCENTS' INVOLVEMENT WITH DEVIANT PEER GROUPS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, DELINQUENCY, AND DEPRESSION. THE SET OF MATERIALS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND FIELD-TESTED WITH UNSELECTED, AT-RISK, AND CLINICAL POPULATIONS REFERRED BECAUSE OF SCHOOL FAILURE, ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, PEER PROBLEMS, OR DEPRESSION.