A Family-Based Program Helped Justice-Involved Youth Reduce Marijuana Use and Risky Behaviors | Research

The takeaway

In a pilot trial of 47 juvenile drug court families, a 5-session family-based intervention increased youth motivation to change marijuana use and decreased both marijuana consumption and risky sexual behavior over 3 months.

Parents and professionals working with at-risk youth who use marijuana.

Family-based intervention increased motivation to change marijuana use and decreased actual use at 3 months

What the researchers found

Forty-seven caregiver-youth dyads in a juvenile drug court program were randomized to either a 5-session family-based intervention integrating substance use prevention with affect management strategies, or an adolescent-only psychoeducation control.

At 3 months, youth in the family-based intervention showed enhanced motivation to change their marijuana use, decreased marijuana use, and decreased risky sexual behavior compared to the control condition.

The intervention's emphasis on affect management (emotional regulation) strategies was based on the theory that emotion dysregulation underlies the co-occurrence of substance use, delinquency, and sexual risk-taking in justice-involved youth.

Why it matters

Approximately 80% of arrested youth are supervised in the community rather than detained. Justice-involved youth have higher rates of substance use, psychiatric problems, and risky behaviors than their peers. This pilot provides preliminary evidence that addressing marijuana use within a family context and teaching emotional regulation skills may be more effective than youth-only education.

The numbers in context

47 caregiver-youth dyads. 5-session intervention. 3-month follow-up. Improvements in motivation to change marijuana use, decreased marijuana use, and decreased risky sexual behavior.

How the study worked

Pilot randomized controlled trial with 47 caregiver-youth dyads in a juvenile drug court. Five-session family-based intervention versus time-matched adolescent-only psychoeducation. Data collected at baseline and 3 months post-intervention.

What this study cannot tell us

Very small pilot sample (47 dyads). Short follow-up (3 months). No long-term outcome data. Justice-involved youth may not be representative of all adolescent marijuana users. The pilot design cannot definitively establish efficacy.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary evidence from a small pilot RCT.

When this study was published

Published in 2017. Pilot study requiring replication.

The bigger picture

This study is part of a growing movement to integrate substance use, mental health, and sexual health interventions for at-risk youth rather than addressing each in isolation. The focus on family involvement and emotional regulation targets the underlying factors that drive multiple risk behaviors simultaneously.

Questions still open

Would the effects persist beyond 3 months? Can this approach be scaled to larger justice-involved youth populations? Which component (family involvement vs. affect management) is more important for reducing marijuana use?

Common questions

Does family involvement help teens stop using marijuana?

This small pilot study found that a family-based approach was more effective than youth-only education at reducing marijuana use and increasing motivation to change. Including parents in treatment may help by improving communication and providing ongoing support at home.

What is affect management and why does it matter?

Affect management means learning to recognize and regulate emotions. The study was based on the theory that difficulty managing emotions drives substance use, delinquency, and risky behavior in at-risk youth. Teaching these skills in a family context appeared to reduce multiple risk behaviors simultaneously.

Read the original research

Outcomes of a family-based HIV prevention intervention for substance using juvenile offenders.

Journal of substance abuse treatment, 77, 115-125

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Tolou-Shams, Marina; Dauria, Emily; Conrad, Selby M; Kemp, Kathleen; Johnson, Sarah; Brown, Larry K. (2017). Outcomes of a family-based HIV prevention intervention for substance using juvenile offenders.. Journal of substance abuse treatment, 77, 115-125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2017.03.013