# Understanding for Whom Family-Based Substance Use Prevention Programs Work Best: A Person-Centered Approach

> **NIH NIH F31** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2020 · $27,618

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Rates of adolescent substance use (ASU) remain at problematic levels1 despite considerable investments in
evidence-based prevention program implementation,2,3 specifically universal family-based ASU prevention
programs. To enhance the effects of family-based prevention programs, it is necessary to have a deeper
understanding of differential program effectiveness. Traditional assessments conceal the heterogeneity in
program effects making it difficult to improve program effectiveness for those who may benefit less than
others.4–8 Rather than using single items (e.g., gender) or cumulative indices (e.g., “family risk”) as moderators
of program effectiveness,8,9 the applicant proposes to apply innovative person-centered methods10–12 to study
differential program effects by identifying subgroups based on family-level and individual-level risk and
protective factors (RPFs). This approach will yield a holistic typology that accounts for the co-occurrence of
different RPFs, a more true-to-life depiction of adolescent context than cumulative indices. Typologies can be
used to advance understanding in ASU etiology as well as differential intervention effects. The proposed study
will use data from the PROSPER Study (R01 DA013709), a large, community randomized trial with longitudinal
follow-up data to examine the following three aims: (1) To identify profiles of co-occurring family-level and
individual-level RPFs, (2) To understand how RPF profiles predict ASU over time, and (3) To determine for
whom the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth Ages 10-14 works best in the prevention of
ASU over time.
 By addressing each of the above research aims, the proposed study will contribute to knowledge that will
help program developers and prevention scientists better serve the larger population as a whole through
evaluation of differential intervention effects. The knowledge gained in this study will allow future research
projects to improve existing interventions, and develop new interventions, that target the most promising
mechanisms for specific subgroups. To better prepare herself for a career conducting ASU prevention
research, the applicant also seeks additional training to: (1) gain expertise on ASU etiology and the role of
RPFs in this developmental process, (2) deepen understanding of intervention effects on the family ecology
and the associated ASU outcomes, (3) learn and apply advanced methods for evaluating RPFs for ASU, (4)
strengthen manuscript and grant writing skills and engage in professional activities, and (5) responsibly
conduct research in adolescent substance use prevention. The applicant’s career goal is to conduct
independent research with the objective of innovating preventive strategies to better serve all program
participants to reach population-level effects on substance use prevalence rates in adolescents, and thus
prevent additional negative downstream consequences. This dissertation research ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10060716
- **Project number:** 5F31DA048522-02
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily LoBraico
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $27,618
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10060716

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10060716, Understanding for Whom Family-Based Substance Use Prevention Programs Work Best: A Person-Centered Approach (5F31DA048522-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10060716. Licensed CC0.

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