Family Functioning in Hispanic Parents of Adolescents: Who Benefits Most from a Family-Based HIV and Substance Use Preventive Intervention?

To understand which families are likely to benefit most from resource-intensive family-based, evidence-based interventions (EBIs), we must examine the key, modifiable determinant of family functioning. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify whether there are subgroups of Hispanic parents that differ meaningfully based on their family functioning at baseline, (2) test whether the Familias Unidas preventive intervention was differentially effective across the baseline family functioning subgroups, and (3) understand the mechanisms of intervention effectiveness within each baseline family functioning subgroup. On a pooled data set of 4 completed efficacy and effectiveness trials of Familias Unidas (n = 1445 low-income, Hispanic immigrant origin, parents and their adolescent between the ages of 12-17), we conducted a series of secondary data analyses. Latent profile analyses revealed four significantly different profiles: (1) low family functioning (n = 210, 14.55%), (2) low-to-moderate family functioning (n = 554, 38.39%), (3) moderate-to-high family functioning (n = 490, 33.96%), and (4) high family functioning (n = 189, 13.10%). A structural equation modeling approach found there were significant differences in intervention effectiveness between the subgroups. The low family functioning subgroup experienced gains in family functioning, and in turn, lower levels of adolescent substance use, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms. The high family functioning subgroup showed significant direct effects of the intervention on adolescent substance use, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms, but no indirect effects through improvements in family functioning. Implications for screening, targeting, and adapting interventions are discussed.