Community-based parenting and family support interventions and the prevention of drug abuse

This paper presents a model for the development of a comprehensive, multile vel, preventively-oriented parenting and family support strategy to reduce family risk factors associated with drug abuse in young people. If parentin g interventions are to make a significant impact at a population level on t he prevalence of dysfunctional parenting practices, there is a need for an ecological approach to parenting support. Such an approach needs to target a variety of social contexts that are in a position to provide parents with access to evidence-based parenting interventions. The Triple P-Positive Pa renting Program is discussed as an example of such an approach to illustrat e the distinguishing features of a population level strategy. The core cons tructs underpinning the Triple P system include the promotion of parental s elf-regulation (self-sufficiency, self-efficacy, self-management, personal agency, and problem solving), through making parenting programs of adequate intensity widely available in the community through flexible delivery moda lities (individual, group, telephone assisted and self-directed). The syste m comprises a tiered continuum of increasingly intensive parenting interven tions ranging from media interventions with wide reach, to intensive behavi oural family interventions with narrow reach for high-risk families where p arenting problems are complicated by other factors including marital confli ct, parental mood disturbance, and lack of social support. The scientific b asis of the system of intervention. arid possible directions for future res earch is discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.