Evaluation of an Assertive Continuing Care Program for Hispanic Adolescents

PURPOSE: This study evaluated an Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) and Assertive Continuing Care (ACC) program targeting Hispanic adolescents at risk for substance abuse.

METHOD: The Clinic for Education, Treatment, and Prevention of Addiction (CETPA, Inc.), a behavioral health provider offering culturally appropriate substance use and mental health services, carried out the intervention. We examined longitudinal substance use data in relation to time spent in the program and possible confounders.

RESULTS: We analyzed data from 72 adolescent clients collected between 2010 and 2012. Self-reported data were evaluated to determine if time spent in the program was associated with substance use reduction. The data were correlated, zero-inflated, and overdispersed; consequently, we employed a mixed-effects zero-inflated negative-binomial model. Time spent in CETPA’s program was significantly associated with reductions in the number of days of substance use (p= .039), but not with the likelihood of fully abstaining from use (p= .290). For non-abstinent participants who spend a year in the program, our models revealed an average decline of 46% in reported days of substance use.

CONCLUSIONS: A culturally tailored and age-appropriate substance abuse program for Hispanic adolescents resulted in a significant reduction of the numbers of days using alcohol, drugs, or other illicit substances. The A-CRA/ACC approach can yield successful results in culturally diverse settings.