Innovative Family Prevention With Latino Siblings in Disadvantaged Settings
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Promotion of Positive Sibling Relationships
- Sponsor
- Harvard University
- Enrollment
- 270
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Sibling Intimacy
- Status
- Active, Not Recruiting
- Last Updated
- 6 months ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The current study is a randomized intervention trial that tests the efficacy of a family-focused sibling relationship promotion program. The study includes a treatment group and a contact-equivalent attention control condition with 288 sibling dyads and data collection with target parents, target sibling dyads, and teachers at three time points (pre-test, post-test, and 18-month follow-up). Data will be collected using a three-cohort design with 96 families in each of the three cohorts.
Detailed Description
The proposed project tests the efficacy of a family-focused program. This innovative program is focused on sibling relationships and parenting of siblings as synergistic targets of change to promote positive interpersonal family dynamics and parent and youth psychosocial and behavioral health and well-being. This translational effort builds on strong theoretical and empirical premises including a successful pilot study (ASU SIBS Program). Using a rigorous design and measurement, aims are to: (a) test the efficacy of SIBS, delivered via 12 weekly afterschool sibling sessions and 3 family nights in the familiar elementary school setting, versus a contact-equivalent attention control condition. Mexican-origin sibling dyads (5th graders and younger siblings; N = 288 dyads) and their parents will be recruited from economically disadvantaged elementary schools and randomly assigned within school to intervention or contact-equivalent attention control conditions. Assessments will be conducted at pre-test, post-test, and 18-month follow-up. Program effects will be tested on primary and secondary outcomes, including sibling relationship quality (i.e., warmth and negativity), sibling relationship skills, children's efficacy (social, emotional), children's internalizing symptoms, parents' stress and depressive symptoms, parent-child warmth and conflict, and family cohesion. Findings will advance prevention science by identifying an efficacious program that capitalizes on cultural assets to promote positive family dynamics and psychosocial well-being among Latinos, including by incorporating daily measurements of intervention targets (sibling relationship skills) to identify mechanisms underlying program effects.
Investigators
Adriana Umaña-Taylor
Professor
Harvard University
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Target child has to be a 5th grader
- •Target child has to be of Latino/Hispanic heritage
- •Target child has to have a younger sibling enrolled in the same school in the 1st through 4th grade
- •Target child and younger sibling have to be enrolled students in a participating elementary school.
Exclusion Criteria
- •\- Enrollment in a self-contained special education setting
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Sibling Intimacy
Time Frame: 16 weeks
The measure assesses siblings' ratings of intimacy/emotional support (Blyth \& Foster-Clark, 1987). Scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate target child's perceptions of higher sibling intimacy and closeness (i.e., better outcome).
Parenting of Siblings Measure
Time Frame: 16 weeks
The measure assesses parents' perceptions of three constructs: Parents' positive guidance, authoritarian control, and involvement (McHale et al., 2000; Updegraff et al., 2016). For each subscale, scores range from 1 to 5. Higher subscale scores indicate more positive guidance (i.e., better outcome), higher involvement (i.e., better outcome), and higher authoritarian control (i.e., worse outcome). Subscales are not combined into a total score.
Sibling Relationship Inventory: Negativity Subscale
Time Frame: 16 weeks
The measure assesses children's ratings of sibling conflict and negativity (Furman \& Buhrmester, 1985). Scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate target child's perceptions of higher sibling conflict and negativity (i.e., worse outcome).
Sibling Prosocial Behavior
Time Frame: 16 weeks
The measure assesses parents' perceptions of one construct: Parents' ratings of children's supportive and prosocial behaviors (Stormshak, Bellanti, \& Bierman, 1996; Updegraff et al., 2016). Scores range from 1 to 6. Higher scores indicate parents' perceptions of target child's more prosocial behaviors toward their sibling (i.e., better outcome).
Secondary Outcomes
- Behavior Problem Index(16 weeks)
- Parent-Child Conflict measure(16 weeks)
- Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II(16 weeks)
- Children's Depression Inventory(16 weeks)
- Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory - Harsh Discipline(16 weeks)
- Self-efficacy Measure(16 weeks)
- Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory - Parent-Child Warmth(16 weeks)
- Center for Epidemiological Depression Scale(16 weeks)
- Parenting Stress Index(16 weeks)