Substance Misuse Prevention Program Attendance: Predictors Among Military Families

Typical life circumstances for military families may impact their participation in prevention programs, yet little is known about what factors influence their participation. The current study examined predictors of attendance in the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10–14, for Military Families, a universal in-person program designed to improve family functioning and reduce youth substance misuse and other problem behaviors. Participants included 159 parent–child dyads randomly selected to be offered the 7-week family program. Analyses examined demographic characteristics, deployment experiences, time spent waiting for the program to begin, and psychosocial functioning as predictors of attendance in a series of regression models. Of the 39 percent of families that attended any program sessions, the majority (71 percent) attended at least four of the seven sessions. Attendance varied significantly across the geographic areas in which groups were held. Prior service utilization, youth conduct problem behavior, parental history of deployment, and family conflict were each positively associated with attendance, whereas parent tobacco use was negatively associated with attendance. These results highlight the challenges in recruiting military families into in-person prevention programs and suggest that extra efforts may be needed to engage families that do not perceive that they have a need for support.