A Web-Based Media Parenting Intervention to Prevent Youth Substance Use
University of Florida
Summary
Entertainment media commonly depict SU, and youth exposure to media SU is linked to youth initiation and progression of SU behavior. Parenting practices reduce exposure to and may mitigate risk associated with media depictions of SU, thus this research proposal will build upon current understanding of effective media parenting with the end goal of developing and testing a media parenting intervention designed to reduce youth risk for SU.
Description
Youth substance use (SU) is associated with many negative developmental outcomes including morbidity and mortality. Initiation of SU typically occurs during adolescence, and SU behavior often co-occurs with other risk behaviors (e.g., risky sexual behavior). Exposure to SU in the media is a well-documented influence on SU behavior, as it predicts early onset SU and progression to more problematic SU behavior. Media effects, while demonstrated to be consistent, stable, and strong even accounting for other social influences and personality characteristics, have received little attention in preve…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 10–14 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: Parents must * have at least one middle school-aged child who resides with them * be able to read at the 6th grade level in English * have access to the internet and a smartphone to participate in web-based intervention groups and receive intervention push messages. Exclusion Criteria: -NA
Interventions
- BehavioralIntervention Arm - T.E.C.H. Parenting
Intervention Arm participants will enroll in a web-based psychoeducational group (15 parents per group across 4 groups). Participants will receive psychoeducational information on media parenting, and they will be invited to participate in an online group discussion board to share their experiences with other parents in the intervention. In weeks 2-5, participants will learn about 4 domains of media parenting: 1) Talk to your child about media; 2) Educate your child about media-related risks; 3) Co-View/Co-Use media and technology actively with your child; and 4) establish House rules for media usage. Week 6 will review information and provide an "expert clinician" to support parent problem solving. Participants will receive 2-3 weekly push messages via text messaging prompting practice of skills learned in the group setting. Participants will be assessed at baseline, immediately following the 6 week intervention, and 3 months after the intervention is completed.
- BehavioralControl Arm - General Positive Parenting
The Control Arm of the RCT is the attention control group. These participants will enroll in a web-based psychoeducational group (four groups of 15 parents each). They will receive 6 weeks of online psychoeducational material, including 2-3 push messages prompting skill practice. Parents will have access to an online discussion board to share experiences with other parents. This group will match the intervention arm of the study in number of study staff contacts, time of start/duration of the group, peer support, and availability of a professional in week six for consultation on parenting issues. Control participants will not receive information on media parenting. Participants in this group will be assessed at baseline, immediately following the six-week intervention period, and 3 months after intervention completion. Participants will be asked about exposure to TECH Parenting content at baseline and followup to address potential contamination effects across study arms.
Location
- University of FloridaGainesville, Florida