Psychosocial factors proved to be better predictors of adaptation than biomedical risk factors. Additional research is needed to better understand the nature of the interrelationships among biomedical risk factors, psychosocial factors, and adaptation.
Brief strategic family therapy™ (BSFT) is a manualized treatment designed to address aspects of family functioning associated with adolescent drug use and behavior problems (J. Szapocznik, U. Hervis, S. Schwartz, (2003). Brief strategic family therapy for adolescent drug abuse. (NIH Publication No. 03-4751). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse). Within the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA’s) Clinical Trials Network, BSFT is being compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in a multisite, prospective randomized clinical trial for drug using adolescents and their families in outpatient settings. The effectiveness of BSFT is being compared to TAU in reducing adolescent drug use, conduct problems, and sexually risky behaviors as well as in improving family functioning and adolescent prosocial behaviors. This paper describes the following aspects of the study: specific aims, research design and study organization, assessment of primary and secondary outcomes, study treatments, data analysis plan, and data monitoring and safety reporting.
Background Racial/ethnic minorities (REMs) continue to carry the burden of sexual health disparities in the United States, including increased health risks and lower proportions of preventative care. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been useful in developing interventions aimed at reducing these disparities. Specifically, partnership with the target group members has resulted in more culturally relevant intervention strategies. Aim The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the existing research on sexual health interventions targeting U.S. REMs that were developed using CBPR, to highlight the role target group members played in the development of these interventions, and to explore the benefits and outcomes of these partnerships. Method Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guided the search of 46 thesauri terms for CBPR, sexual health, and REMs across six databases. Results The initial search yielded 805 identified studies. After applying limiters, reviewing abstracts, and doing a full-text review, 24 appropriate studies were retained. The key findings indicated significant intervention outcomes such as increased health knowledge, attitude change, and behavioral intention that could reduce sexual risk-taking behaviors. Twelve studies detailed the methods for partnering with target group members to formulate interventions, highlighting the benefits related to recruitment, retention, and cultural relevance. Discussion CBPR is well-positioned to address sexual health disparities among REMs. While community partnership strategies vary, the findings yield evidence that CBPR addressing sexual health disparities is achievable, can influence the effectiveness of interventions, and should be considered as an orientation in future sexual health research.
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