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Strong African American Families – Teen

A family-centered group preventive intervention for black teens living in rural communities entering high school to prevent conduct problems, substance use, and depressive symptoms, and promote protective sexual behavior efficacy.

The Strong African American Families-Teen (SAAF-T) intervention is a preventive intervention for African-American students living in rural communities entering high school that integrates individual youth skills building, parenting skills training, and family interaction training. SAAF-T involves five group sessions using DVDs where narrators address specific content and actors present family scenarios depicting program-targeted interactions and behaviors. Each meeting includes separate one-hour concurrent training for caregivers and youth, followed by a one-hour conjoint session during which families practice the skills they learned in their separate sessions. The program provides parents and youth with skills that nurture adolescent self-regulation, achievement orientation, and negative attitudes toward substance use and other risk behaviors. One of the units involves a focus on sexual health. The program is interactive involving role-playing activities, guided discussions, and question answering.

Learn more about our Model and Promising programs.

Contact

Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
University of Colorado Boulder
Institute of Behavioral Science
UCB 483, Boulder, CO 80309

Email: blueprints@colorado.edu

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Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development is
currently funded by Arnold Ventures (formerly the Laura and John Arnold Foundation) and historically has received funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.