Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

This particular research project was part of a larger effort to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive and culturally competent HIV and substance abuse prevention program (Corazon de Aztlan) intended to serve Hispanic adolescents in Arizona. This paper describes the evaluation of the substance abuse prevention component of Corazon de Aztlan, which was designed to utilize the cultural strengths of Hispanic (primarily of Mexican origin background) youth. Previous research with Mexican American adolescents with regards to culturally specific risk factors has shown that familial influence is great. The presence and degree of alcohol and substance use among parents tended to positively correlate with similar behavior in their adolescent children. Culturally appropriate family intervention strategies using a systems based approach have proven effective in preventing adolescent alcohol and substance abuse. This program combined parental and youth based educational interventions with youth development programs. Parents participated in home based psycho-educational sessions that included a condensed Spanish language version of the curriculum in which their children participated. As the influence of friends and social networks has been shown to have strong effects on adolescent alcohol and substance abuse, this program incorporated a peer education component, which drew on the credibility peer group leaders had with this adolescent population. Two major hypotheses were developed. First, it was hypothesized that reported substance/alcohol use among adolescents, their friends, and their family would be positively correlated with each other. Substance/alcohol use was measured during last 30 days by how often individuals: (a) drank alcohol, (b) smoked marijuana, (c) used illegal drugs besides alcohol and marijuana. Second, it was hypothesized that because of the Corazon de Aztlan substance abuse prevention program, substance/alcohol use levels in the three groups at pretest would be significantly lower at posttest one year later. A total of 483 randomly selected adolescents were included in data analysis. List-wise method was applied for missing data. Multifactor data analysis using a repeated measurement model of structural equation modeling was applied. Model specification was conducted by several steps repeatedly until finding a best fit model: (a) imposing equality constraints on the factor (or error) loadings between pretest and posttest, (b) computing a chi-square difference, examining differential fit using global fit indices as well as examining differences in loadings between pretest and posttest, (c) examining LM tests on equality constraints, (d) relaxing equality constraints on the factor loadings (or error loadings) one at a time. The specified final model was applied for data analysis. Results from constraints revealed factorial invariance among a factor, variable and error between pretest and posttest. The path coefficients between the measured variables and the factors in path diagrams supported the research hypotheses. All three groups were positively correlated in both pretest and posttest. All coefficient scores between three factors of the pretest and posttest were statistically significant in negative directions. The culturally competent substance abuse prevention program for serving Hispanic adolescents and their family was effective. Multifactor repeated measurement model using SEM is effective to conduct empirical based social work research.