Preventing Substance Abuse Among American-Indian Adolescents: A Bicultural Competence Skills Approach

Tobacco, alcohol, and drug use are problems for American-Indian people. We reviewed these problems and the explanations for them and described a bicultural competence skills approach for preventing substance abuse with American-Indian adolescents. Data from a study of that approach suggest its efficacy with American-Indian youth. At posttest and a 6-month follow-up, American-Indian subjects who received preventive intervention based on bicultural competence skills concepts improved more than did American-Indian subjects in a no-intervention control condition on measures of substance-use knowledge, attitudes, and interactive skills, and on self-reported rates of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. Our findings have implications for future substance-abuse prevention research with American-Indian people.     

Systemic crisis intervention as a response to adolescent crises: an outcome study

The present study demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of an outpatient program designed to respond to adolescent-precipitated crises by mobilizing and restructuring the family's kinship system. Families of 75 adolescents at risk for hospitalization were followed up to 24 months after treatment with Systemic Crisis Intervention. Measures of offspring and family functioning, suicidal behavior, institutional use, and treatment costs are presented. Results clearly demonstrate the safety, effectiveness, and economic viability of Systemic Crisis Intervention.     

THE BASES OF INVOLVEMENT IN WORK AND FAMILY CONTEXTS*

This binational study explored the need importance patterns and involvement in work and family contexts. Results reveal that in the work context, growth needs are most important, followed by affiliative and subsistence needs. In the family context, affiliative needs are most important, followed by subsistence and growth needs. Involvement in work and family contexts was found to be influenced by the need satisfaction potential of the respective contexts. This explained the nature of relationship between work and family involvement. The cross-national generalizability and usefulness of a motivational model for research on involvement in multilife-spheres are discussed.