Strong African American Families (SAAF) (OJJDP Model Program Guide)

Office of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships – Safer Neighborhoods

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Serving Children, Families and Communities

PREVENTION

IMMEDIATE SANCTIONS

INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS

RESIDENTIAL

REENTRY

MPG HOME SEARCH HOME SEARCH ENTIRE PROGRAM DATABASE SEARCH USING RISK & PROTECTIVE FACTORS PROGRAM TYPES RATING SYSTEM REFERENCES NOMINATE PROGRAMS RELATED LINKS RESOURCES DMC-REDUCTION BEST PRACTICES DATABASE DSO BEST PRACTICES DATABASE

Strong African American Families (SAAF)

Intervention:

Strong African American Families (SAAF) is a parental training and family therapy program grounded in social bonding and control theories. The program works to strengthen the attachment between parent and child to reduce the likelihood of youth involvement in various problem behaviors, particularly alcohol and substance abuse. SAAF targets African American families with children 10 to 14 years of age.

SAAF aims to strengthen parenting practices related to monitoring and supporting youth, articulating parental expectations for alcohol use, communicating with youth about sex, and promoting positive racial socialization. It also works to promote youths’ ability to focus on goals for the future, resist involvement in risk behaviors, maintain negative images of risk behaviors and peers who engage in them, and accept parental influences.

Caregivers and their children attend seven consecutive weekly sessions at a venue in their community (e.g., local community centers, schools, and churches). Caregiver session topics address monitoring, communication, limit setting, parental school involvement, racial socialization, and clear expectations about alcohol use. The youth sessions address goal setting, attitudes about substance use and people who use substances, risk behavior, resistance skills, racial socialization, understanding of parental perspectives, and acceptance of parental influences. The family sessions build upon these topics while supporting efforts to strengthen family relationships, as well as cultural pride and values.

Evaluation Methodology:

Study 1
Brody and colleagues (2006a) evaluated SAAF using an experimental design in which eight rural Georgia counties were randomly assigned to receive treatment (SAAF programming) or a control condition (brochures about parenting). Families receiving programming attended seven consecutive weekly classes at local community centers. Classes consisted of family instruction and separate classes for parents and children. Participants were chosen from county schools’ enrollment lists. Eleven-year-old students were randomly selected from these lists; their families were invited to participate in the study.

Out of 521 randomly selected families, 322 participated and completed pretests. The treatment group, 172 families, received SAAF programming. The control group, 150 families, received three informational mailings about parenting techniques. Before treatment, there were no significant differences between the treatment group and the control group. In 53.6 percent of the families the target child was a girl. Of the mothers in families, slightly more than a third were single, another third were married but separated, 23 percent were married and living with their husbands, and 7 percent were living with partners (not married). The median household income was $1,655 per month reflecting the low-income families the intervention targets.

Researchers collected observational data through home visits and used parent and child self-reports of behavior. They collected data from families 1 month before the SAAF intervention, 3 months after the classes had ended, and again 2 years following the end of classes. There was seven months between pretest and posttest. First, Hierarchical Linear Modeling was used to compare group equivalence. Next, Structural Equation Modeling was used for hypotheses testing. Specifically, intervention-targeted behaviors such as parenting style and enhancement of youth protective factors were tested to determine whether the SAAF programming had any direct effects. These analyses were replicated using multilevel analysis of covariance.

One possible limitation of the study is that only mothers received the parenting classes. Even though both parents were invited to attend the SAAF parenting classes, fathers rarely did so. Additionally, the program is concentrated on rural families and their needs; it is not known how the program would translate and whether it would be effective in an urban setting.

Evaluation Outcome:

Study 1
Parenting Practices
Brody and colleagues (2006a) found that mothers in the SAAF treatment group reported more communicative parenting and that the targeted children had more protective factors. Additional analyses revealed that parents who attended more than five classes had greater changes in their parenting styles and in their childrens’ risk behaviors.

Child Alcohol Use
Children in the SAAF treatment group had negative images and attitudes of drinkers, drinking, and early sexual activity, as well as more effective resistance skills and future-oriented goals when compared to those in the control group. Children in the treatment group were also less likely to use alcohol. The treatment group did experience a growth in alcohol use, but its increase was 17.4 percent smaller than the increase in the control group.

Other Information:

Implementation:The Strong African American Families program package DVD/CD box set, facilitator implementation manual, and all other related training and support materials cost $7,000. This covers training of facilitators and a technical assistance site visit from SAAF program personnel. Travel costs for the training of facilitators is not included.

For more information on implementation, see the SAAF program Web site through the University of Georgia Center for Family Research at http://www.cfr.uga.edu/saaf1

References:

Brody, Gene H., Velma McBride Murray, Meg Gerrard, Frederick X. Gibbons, Virginia K. Molgaard, Lily McNair, Anita C. Brown, Thomas A. Wills, Richard L. Spoth, Zupei Luo, Yi–Fu Chen, and Eileen Neubaum–Carlan. 2004. “The Strong African American Families Program: Translating Research Into Prevention Programming.” Child Development 75(3):900–917.

Brody, Gene H., Velma McBride Murray, Steven M. Kogan, Meg Gerrard, Frederick X. Gibbons, Virginia K. Molgaard, Anita C. Brown. Tracy Anderson, Yi–Fu Chen, Zupei Luo, and Thomas A. Wills. 2006a. “The Strong African American Families Program: A Cluster-Randomized Prevention Trial of Long-Term Effects and a Mediational Model.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 74(2):356–66.

Brody, Gene H., Velma McBride Murray, Meg Gerrard, Frederick X. Gibbons, Lily McNair, Anita C. Brown, Thomas A. Wills, Virginia K. Molgaard, Richard L. Spoth, Zupei Luo, and Yi–Fu Chen. 2006b. “The Strong African American Families Program: Prevention of Youths’ High-Risk Behavior and a Test of the Model of Change.” Journal of Family Psychology 20(1):1–11.

Brody, Gene H., Steven M. Kogan, Yi–Fu Chen, and Velma McBride Murry. 2008. “Long-Term Effects of the Strong African American Families Program on Youth Conduct Problems.” Journal of Adolescent Health 43:474–81.

Brody, Gene H., Yi–Fu Chen, Steven M. Kogan, Velma McBride Murry, and Anita C. Brown. 2010. “Long-Term Effects of the Strong African American Families Program on Youth’s Alcohol Use.” Journal of Consulting and Child Psychology 78(2):281–85.

The University of Georgia Center for Family Research. 2008. “About SAAF.” Accessed June 6, 2011.http://www.cfr.uga.edu/saaf1

Program Specification:

Current Rating:

Effective

Expected Date of Re-Review:

Program Type:

Alcohol and Drug Therapy / Education

Classroom Curricula

Family Therapy

Parent Training

Ethnicity:

African American

Gender:

Both

Age:

11 - 13

Problem Behaviors:

Family Functioning

Risk & Protective Factors:

Risk

Community

Availability of alcohol and other drugs

Family

Family management problems / Poor parental supervision and/or monitoring

Pattern of high family conflict

Poor family attachment / Bonding

Individual

Antisocial behavior and alienation / Delinquent beliefs / General delinquency involvement / Drug dealing

Favorable attitudes toward drug use/Early onset of AOD use/Alcohol and/or drug use

Poor refusal skills

Peer

Gang involvement / Gang membership

Peer alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drug use

Protective

Community

High community expectations

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in the community

Family

Good relationship with parents / Bonding or attachment to family

Having a stable family

Individual

Healthy / Conventional beliefs and clear standards

Perception of social support from adults and peers

Positive / Resilient temperament

Self-efficacy

School

High expectations of students

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in school

Additional Information:

Status:

Program is in operation at this time.

Performance Measures:

Suggested OJJDP Performance Measures for the Program Types(s):

Delinquency Prevention
Classroom Curricula
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
School Programs
Classroom Curricula
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Delinquency Prevention
Family Therapy
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Mental Health Services
Family Therapy
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Delinquency Prevention
Parent Training
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF
Mental Health Services
Parent Training
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Contact Information:

Program Developer:
The Center for Family Research
University of Georgia
1095 College Station Road
Athens, GA 30602-4527
Phone: 888.542.3068
Fax: 706.425.2985
Website: Click Here

Christina Grange
Program Director The Center for Family Research, University of Georgia
1095 College Station Road
Athens, GA 30602-4527
Phone: 888.542.3068
Fax: 706.425.2985
Email: Click Here
Website: Click Here