Gregory M. Fosco

Family and peer predictors of substance use from early adolescence to early adulthood: an 11-year prospective analysis.

The focus of this study was social (i.e., family and peer) influences on substance use from early adolescence to early adulthood. A large, ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents (N=998) was followed from age 12 to age 23. We tested direct and indirect effects of parental monitoring, family relationship quality, and association with deviant peers on change in substance use across time. Outcomes for tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use were analyzed as separate pathways within the same overall model. The results suggest that a significant shift in the nature of family influence occurred across adolescence and into early adulthood, but deviant peer influence was relatively consistent across this period. Specifically, parental monitoring and deviant peer association were predictive of substance use in early adolescence, but family relationship quality was a significant predictor across the transition to high school and generally continued to predict use into later adolescence, as did association with deviant peers. Deviant peers were the only significant predictor in early adulthood. Our results also suggested that parental monitoring and family relationship quality indirectly predicted later substance use by way of deviant peers, implying that an important aspect of the family context is its influence on choice of friends and peer group composition. Implications for family-based prevention and intervention are discussed.

Emotional, Cognitive, and Family Systems Mediators of Children's Adjustment to Interparental Conflict

Emotional, cognitive, and family systems processes have been identified as mediators of the association between interparental conflict and childrens adjustment. However, little is known about how they function in relation to one another because they have not all been assessed in the same study. This investigation examined the relations among childrens exposure to parental conflict, their appraisals of threat and blame, their emotional reaction, and triangulation into parental disagreements. One hundred fifty ethnically diverse 8- to 12-year-old children and both of their parents participated in the study. Comparisons of 3 models proposing different relations among these processes indicated that they function as parallel and independent mediators of childrens adjustment. Specifically, childrens self-blaming attributions and emotional distress were uniquely associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas perceived threat uniquely predicted internalizing problems and triangulation uniquely predicted externalizing problems.

Family Relationships and Parental Monitoring During Middle School as Predictors of Early Adolescent Problem Behavior

The middle school years are a period of increased risk for youths’ engagement in antisocial behaviors, substance use, and affiliation with deviant peers (Dishion & Patterson, 2006). This study examined the specific role of parental monitoring and of family relationships (mother, father, and sibling) that are all critical to the deterrence of problem behavior in early adolescence. The study sample comprised 179 ethnically diverse 6th-grade (46% female) students who were followed through 8th grade. Results indicated that parental monitoring and father–youth connectedness were associated with reductions in problem behavior over time, and conflict with siblings was linked with increases in problem behaviors. No associations were found for mother–youth connectedness. These findings did not differ for boys and for girls, or for families with resident or nonresident fathers.

Making Sense of Family Violence Implications of Children's Appraisals of Interparental Aggression for Their Short- and Long-Term Functioning

Children who are exposed to interparental violence are at risk for a host of adjustment problems, but little is known about the processes that explain why children from violent families develop different patterns of adjustment. In this paper, we examine the role that childrens perceptions and interpretations of aggression may play in shaping the impact of interparental violence on their short- and long-term functioning. Appraisals of interparental conflict have been linked to childrens emotional and behavioral responses to conflict as well as their adjustment more broadly and offer a mechanism for understanding diverse outcomes in children who witness violence in the home. We explore how the appraisal process may differ in violent versus conflictual but nonviolent interactions, consider contextual factors that may influence this process, and outline directions for research investigating how children perceive and make sense of violence in intimate relationships.

A Six-Year Predictive Test of Adolescent Family Relationship Quality and Effortful Control Pathways to Emerging Adult Social and Emotional Health

This longitudinal study examined how a multimethod (youth report, parent report, direct observation) assessment of family relationship quality (cohesion and conflict) in adolescence (age 16-17) predicted growth and maintenance of effortful control across ages 17, 22, and 23 years old, and, ultimately, subjective well-being, emotional distress, and aggressive behavior in emerging adulthood (23). A diverse sample of 792 youth at age 17 and their families, and youth at ages 22 and 23, were studied to examine family cohesion and conflict and the growth and maintenance of effortful control as predictors of emerging adult social and emotional health. Results indicated that family cohesion and conflict during late adolescence and mean-level effortful control at age 22 each served as unique pathways to emerging adult adjustment. These findings underscore the importance of family functioning during adolescence and the maintenance of effortful control into emerging adulthood for understanding adjustment during the emerging adulthood period.

Capturing the Family Context of Emotion Regulation: A Family Systems Model Comparison Approach

Several dimensions of family functioning are recognized as formative influences on children’s emotion regulation. Historically, they have been studied separately, limiting our ability to understand how they function within the family system. The present investigation tested models including family emotional climate, interparental conflict, and maternal and paternal warmth and emotional support in relation to children’s emotion regulation, using a multimethod, multi-informant design with 150 ethnically diverse two-parent families. Mother, father, and child surveys and observational techniques were used to assess the variables of interest. Three theoretically informed comprehensive models were tested and compared. The best fitting model highlighted positive family climate and maternal warmth and sensitivity as unique predictors. Interparental conflict was indirectly linked with children’s emotion regulation through both processes. This study underscores the value of evaluating family-wide, interparental, and parenting dimensions within a broader family systems model to gain a more complete understanding of children’s regulation.

A component-centered meta-analysis of family-based prevention programs for adolescent substance use.

Although research has documented the positive effects of family-based prevention programs, the field lacks specific information regarding why these programs are effective. The current study summarized the effects of family-based programs on adolescent substance use using a component-based approach to meta-analysis in which we decomposed programs into a set of key topics or components that were specifically addressed by program curricula (e.g., parental monitoring/behavior management,problem solving, positive family relations, etc.). Components were coded according to the amount of time spent on program services that targeted youth, parents, and the whole family; we also coded effect sizes across studies for each substance-related outcome. Given the nested nature of the data, we used hierarchical linear modeling to link program components (Level 2) with effect sizes (Level 1). The overall effect size across programs was .31, which did not differ by type of substance. Youth-focused components designed to encourage more positive family relationships and a positive orientation toward the future emerged as key factors predicting larger than average effect sizes. Our results suggest that, within the universe of family-based prevention, where components such as parental monitoring/behavior management are almost universal, adding or expanding certain youth-focused components may be able to enhance program efficacy.

Putting theory to the test: examining family context, caregiver motivation, and conflict in the Family Check-Up model.

This study examined contextual factors (caregiver depression, family resources, ethnicity, and initial levels of youth problem behavior) related to the effectiveness of the Family Check-Up (FCU) and evaluated family processes as a mediator of FCU intervention response and adolescent antisocial behavior. We followed a sample of 180 ethnically diverse youths of families who engaged in the FCU intervention. Family data were collected as part of the FCU assessment, and youth data were collected over 4 years, from sixth through ninth grade. Findings indicated that caregiver depression and minority status predicted greater caregiver motivation to change. In turn, caregiver motivation was the only direct predictor of FCU intervention response during a 1-year period. Growth in family conflict from sixth through eighth grade mediated the link between FCU response and ninth-grade antisocial behavior. This study explicitly tested core aspects of the FCU intervention model and demonstrated that caregiver motivation is a central factor that underlies family response to the FCU. The study also provided support for continued examination of family process mechanisms that account for enduring effects of the FCU and other family-centered interventions.

Lessons Learned from Scaling Up the Ecological Approach to Family Interventions and Treatment Program in Middle Schools

The gap between efficacy trials and real-world implementation is often wider than we realize, and is bridged most effectively when careful consideration is given to the (a) qualities of the intervention that facilitate implementation, (b) external environmental influences on implementation success, (c) characteristics of intervention infrastructure that allow for sustainable implementation, and (d) qualities of the recipients that influence the degree and fidelity of implementation (Feldstein & Glasgow, 2008). We discuss the lessons learned while adapting the Ecological Approach to Family Intervention and Treatment (Dishion & Stormshak, 2007), a family-centered preventive intervention model delivered in public middle schools, for large-scale implementation in an effectiveness trial. We also share our experiences related to the challenges that arise when adapting an intervention model for large-scale dissemination and to share insights we have gained through this first-hand experience.

Bridging the gap from values to actions: a family systems framework for family-centered AAC services

Abstract Despite the growing recognition of the importance of family involvement in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention, little guidance exists on how professionals can establish successful collaborative relationships with families. In this paper, we discuss family systems theory and ecological systems theory as a framework to guide family-centered AAC practice, review family-focused research in AAC, consider how AAC may impact the family system, and provide examples of the clinical implications of using the proposed family systems framework to improve family-centered AAC practice.