History
The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) began in 1983 as a 4-year prevention research project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Because of the project's promising results, SFP has been replicated, revised, and adapted for diverse population groups throughout the Nation. The program was designed as a drug abuse prevention program for high-risk, drug-abusing parents to help them improve their parenting skills and help their children avoid drug use. Program developers (Kumpfer and DeMarsh, 1983) believed that, to reduce risk factors in children of substance abusers, one must improve the family environment and the parents' ability to nurture and provide appropriate learning opportunities for their children. SFP was initially tested with clients who were participating in either outpatient treatment for drug abuse or a methadone maintenance program through community mental health services. The families in the experimental group were randomly assigned to one of three groups, each of which attended a different type of session: a 1-hour parent training session; separate 1-hour training sessions for parents and for children; or separate 1-hour classes for parents and for children, followed by a 1-hour session for the entire family. Families in the control group received no treatment. Each group met for 14 weeks and received incentives, including transportation, childcare, snacks, and prizes for attendance and homework completion, to increase retention.
The research results indicated that the intervention that
combined all three components (parent skills, child skills, and family
skills) was the most successful. SFP increased children's positive behavior
and prosocial skills, improved adults' parenting skills, and enhanced
the family environment by improving communication, clarifying family rules,
and decreasing family conflict.
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