Adults in the Making
Effectiveness

Effective

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Effective

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Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a universal prevention intervention centered on the family with the goal of strengthening the protective factors and self-regulation processes of families, as well as building resilience and preventing the abuse of alcohol and other drugs by African American adolescents.
The interventions seek to strengthen certain parental processes with protective effects on children and adolescents, such as: age-appropriate instrumental (material) and emotional support, educational and occupational guidance, and racial socialization to deal with situations of discrimination.
In the direct intervention with adolescents, the program emphasizes the improvement of age-appropriate self-control skills, effective skills to successfully deal with situations of racial discrimination, planning and materialization of an education and occupation plan, and learning strategies to access the resources available in the community.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies have shown that program participants reported a statistically significant reduction in risky and stress behaviors. However, there was no statistically significant impact on the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, nor on cognitive susceptibility [1] [2].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Brody, G. H., Chen, Y.‑F., Kogan, S. M., Smith, K. & Brown, A. C. (2010). Buffering Effects of a Family-Based Intervention for African American Emerging Adults. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 72(5), 1426–1435. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00774.x

[2] Brody, G. H., Yu, T., Chen, Y.‑F., Kogan, S. M. & Smith, K. (2012). The Adults in the Making program: Long-term protective stabilizing effects on alcohol use and substance use problems for rural African American emerging adults. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026592

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