Risk levels among adolescents in tobacco use and in substance use attitudes after the preventive intervention “Family Competence Program”

Introduction: Universal Family Competence Program is an evidence-based drug preventive intervention
in Spain, working with families with children between 11 and 14 years old. Their objectives are
reduction or prevention of substance use, promotion of family relationships, promotion of parenting
skills, and increase of children personal and social skills.
Method: Cuasi-experimental design with control group. Final sample of this study was 305 parents
and 262 children. Evaluation instrument includes the Questionnaire about Drug Attitudes, measuring
readiness towards substance use, wrong beliefs and normative beliefs. The instrument also contains
questions about tobacco and alcohol use. Cluster analysis on tobacco and alcohol use, and drug
attitudes is calculated.
Results: tobacco use descends after program intervention. Declarations on alcohol use are not reliable.
On drug attitudes, readiness towards substance use descends after intervention, but it is not
significant. Wrong beliefs on drugs decrease, but not in a significant way. Normative beliefs increase,
nevertheless not significantly. Regarding cluster analysis, according to their responses to tobacco use
and drug attitudes, it is possible to identify three levels of risk. 4.7% of the adolescents interviewed
would belong to the high risk level, 24.3% would belong to the middle or middle down level and
70.9% would belong to the low risk level.
Discussion: general results of the PCF-U 11-14 show good results in family and parenting skills (investigated
elsewhere). Nevertheless, when it takes to tobacco and alcohol use and to drug attitudes, only
tobacco use results are significant. The program might be slightly short for high and medium risk levels.