Family-based prevention programmes for alcohol use in young people.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Background:

• Alcohol use among young people presents significant risks for short- and long-term harms.
• This is a major concern for healthcare services, policymakers, educators, and parents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of universal, selective, and indicated family-based prevention programs in preventing alcohol use or problem drinking in school-aged children.
• To assess interventions for all children, those at elevated risk, and those already consuming alcohol.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs (C-RCTs).
• Searched multiple databases including Cochrane, MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, and PsycINFO.
• Included studies involving parents of school-aged children, comparing family interventions with no intervention or other interventions.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 46 studies (39,822 participants) revealed low to very low quality of evidence with high heterogeneity.
• No significant intervention effect was found for prevalence, frequency, or volume of alcohol use compared to no intervention.
• Comparing family/adolescent interventions with adolescent-only interventions also showed no significant differences in alcohol use outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests no clear benefits from family-based programs for preventing youth alcohol use.
• High variation and heterogeneity limit definitive conclusions; more independent studies are required.
• Further research is needed to clarify potential marginal effects and strengthen the evidence base for these interventions.