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Rigorous randomized trials that test promising culturally centered treatments for Latino youth and families are needed. This study adds to the knowledge base by comparing the efficacy of Culturally Informed and Flexible Family Treatment for Adolescents (CIFFTA) to an Individually Oriented Treatment‐As‐Usual (ITAU) in its ability to retain Latino youth and families in treatment, reduce internalizing and externalizing child symptoms, and improve family functioning. CIFFTA uses an adaptive/flexible approach to deliver individual therapy, family therapy, and psycho‐educational modules tailored to each family's unique clinical and cultural characteristics. Two hundred Latino adolescents 11–14 years of age completed a baseline assessment, were randomly assigned to CIFFTA or ITAU, then were assessed again after 16 weeks of intervention. Results show that CIFFTA had significantly higher retention (83%) than ITAU (71%), OR = 2.05, p =.036. Youth in both conditions showed significant reductions in youth and parent reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and there were no differences in change between conditions. Parents in CIFFTA reported significantly greater reductions in family conflict, d = 0.38, p =.025 than in ITAU. In CIFFTA, children of less acculturated Latino parents showed more improvement than the children of more acculturated parents. In ITAU, the reverse was true, children of more acculturated parents reported more improvement. This evidence of CIFFTA's impact on retention, family conflict, and differential effect depending on cultural values and behaviors, has important implications for the field of Latino psychology and family treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.2009.01280.x Byline: DANIEL A. SANTISTEBAN (*), MAITE P. MENA (*) Keywords: Hispanic; Adolescent; Integrative Drug Treatment; Culture; Adaptive Interventions; Family Therapy Abstract: The increasing utilization of evidence-based treatments has highlighted the need for treatment development efforts that can craft interventions that are effective with Hispanic substance abusing youth and their families. The list of evidence-based treatments is extremely limited in its inclusion of interventions that are explicitly responsive to the unique characteristics and treatment needs of young Hispanics and that have been rigorously tested with this population. Some treatments that have been tested with Hispanics do not articulate the manner in which cultural characteristics and therapy processes interact. Other treatments have emphasized the important role of culture but have not been tested rigorously. The value of well designed interventions built upon an appreciation for unique patient characteristics was highlighted by Beutler et al. (1996) when they argued that 'psychotherapy is comprised of a set of complex tasks, and practitioners need comprehensive knowledge of how different processes used in psychotherapy interact with patient characteristics in order to make treatment decisions that will maximize and optimize therapeutic power' (p. 30). A focus on how treatment processes interact with patient characteristics is particularly relevant in the Hispanic population because of the considerable heterogeneity beneath the Hispanic umbrella. Our new program of clinical research focuses on articulating how the varied profiles with regard to immigration stressors, acculturation processes, values clashes, sense of belonging to the community, discrimination, and knowledge about issues important to adolescent health can be more effectively addressed by a culturally informed treatment. Abstract (French) RESUMEN El uso creciente de tratamientos basados en evidencia ha puesto de relieve la necesidad de que surjan iniciativas para el desarrollo de tratamientos que produzcan intervenciones eficaces con los jovenes hispanos y sus familias. La lista de tratamientos basados en evidencia es limitada porque no incluye intervenciones que respondan a las caracteristicas y necesidades de tratamiento unicas de los hispanos jovenes y que se hayan evaluado rigurosamente con esta poblacion. Las iniciativas comunicadas en este articulo condujeron a la creacion de un tratamiento mejorado basado en la familia, el cual se denomino: 'Terapia familiar culturalmente informada para adolescentes,' a fin de trabajar con jovenes hispanos que tienen problemas de comportamiento y de abuso de sustancias. En este articulo explicamos: 1) una investigacion basica de los factores particulares de estres y de las caracteristicas culturales que comunicaron los jovenes hispanos en busca de tratamiento y sus familias, y sus interacciones con procesos clave de tratamiento familiar; y 2) el proceso de creacion de un tratamiento flexible con reglas de decision reproducibles que permitan la adaptacion del tratamiento a circunstancias familiares unicas. Dos supuestos basicos de este trabajo son, en primer lugar, que un tratamiento flexible basado en un manual optimizara el impacto terapeutico del tratamiento y, en segundo lugar, que los medicos aceptaran mejor las intervenciones, ya que generalmente piensan que los tratamientos basados en manuales son demasiado rigidos y no responden a problemas clinicos complejos ni a la heterogeneidad de los pacientes.Palabras clave: Hispanos, adolescentes, tratamiento integrador contra las drogas, cultura, intervenciones adaptativas, terapia familiar Author Affiliation: (*)School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami-El Centro, Miami, FL. Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Daniel A. Santisteban, El Centro, School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Miami, PO Box 248153, Coral Gables, FL 33124. E-mail: dsantist@miami.edu

In the adolescent research literature, acculturation processes have been linked to the development of serious behavior problems in Hispanic adolescents, but not enough is known about how that process takes place. This article reports an investigation that sought to shed light on empirically plausible mechanisms by which family processes (i.e., familism and parenting practices) may operate as mediators of acculturation-related factors on adolescent problem behaviors among 167 Hispanic sixth- or seventh-grade early adolescents. SEM analyses identified an empirically plausible mediated pathway through which parenting practices may operate as a mediator of the effects of acculturation-related variables on adolescent problem behaviors. Second, although the role of familism as a mediator was not supported, the results did provide support for familism having indirect effects on behavior problems also through parenting practices. The findings are discussed in the context of existing research and clinical developments in the treatment of Hispanic adolescents and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the effectiveness of Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) on adolescents. Comparison between BSFT and Community Control (CC); Difference in the rates of engagement between families assigned to BSFT; Conclusions on the effectiveness of BSFT over CC.