Engaging Parents to Prevent Adolescent Substance Use: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Public Health Interventions
• Substance Use Prevention

Background:

• Adolescent substance use remains a significant public health concern.
• Parental involvement is a key factor in preventing adolescent risk behaviors.
• Effective, scalable interventions are needed to support parents in monitoring their children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a parent-focused intervention in reducing adolescent substance use.
• To determine if regular communication about academic performance and behavior impacts substance initiation.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 318 seventh graders and their parents in Los Angeles.
• The intervention group received weekly communications (text, phone, email) on student performance and behavior.
• Data collected on student substance use, parental monitoring, and parenting self-efficacy.

Main Results:

• Lifetime alcohol or marijuana use decreased from 18.2% in the control group to 10.2% in the intervention group by eighth grade (P=.02).
• No significant differences were observed between groups in parenting self-efficacy, parent-child relationship quality, or student grades.
• The intervention demonstrated a cost of $15 per student annually, with potential for further cost reduction through automation.

Conclusions:

• The Linking Information and Families Together intervention effectively reduced alcohol and marijuana initiation among adolescents.
• The intervention is a scalable, low-cost, and innovative approach to adolescent substance use prevention.
• Targeted communication with parents can be a powerful tool in mitigating adolescent risk behaviors.