Evaluation of a Swedish version of the Strengthening Families Programme
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Adolescents' alcohol consumption is a public health concern in Sweden as well as in many other countries. Underage drinking is associated with increased risks of alcohol-related injuries, risky sexual behaviours and dependence later in life. Different strategies have been used in the effort to prevent this behaviour, and to postpone the onset of alcohol. The Strengthening Families Programme 10-14 (SFP 10-14) from the USA has been highlighted as one of the more effective prevention programmes. The aim of the present article was to evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally adapted Swedish version of the SFP 10-14. METHODS: This was a cluster randomized controlled trial including 587 sixth-grade students (age 12) and their parents in 19 elementary schools in Stockholm. Schools were randomly assigned to either control (9 schools, 216 students) or to the family skills training intervention (10 schools, 371 students). The SFP Swedish version consisted of two parts with seven and five sessions, respectively, held separately for youths and parents except two joint family sessions. Measures of students' self-reported episodes of drunkenness, smoking, illicit drug use and other norm-breaking behaviours were collected at baseline (March 2003) and at three subsequent yearly surveys. Data were analysed using multilevel models with an intention-to-treat approach. RESULTS: No preventive effects were found for smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use and other norm-breaking behaviours, nor did moderators affect the outcome. CONCLUSION: The Swedish version of the SFP 10-14 was not effective in preventing youths' substance use in a Swedish context.
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Several US-based interventions targeting youth development, education and crime reduction have struggled to replicate their positive effects in the UK and Europe, due in part to differences in service systems, cultural norms and school environments.
“Several US-based interventions targeting youth development, education and crime reduction have struggled to replicate their positive effects in the UK and Europe more widely. This is arguably due in part to differences in service systems, cultural norms and school environments, which complicate implementation (e.g., Skärstrand et al., 2014; Baldus et al., 2016; Humayun et al., 2017; Fonagy et al.,”
From Promoting positive youth development with adolescent boys in UK schools: A theory-driven evaluation of the "Becoming a Man" programme (2026) · cites this paper as Skärstrand et al., 2014
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“This is arguably due in part to differences in service systems, cultural norms and school environments, which complicate implementation (e.g., Skärstrand et al., 2014 ; Baldus et al., 2016 ; Humayun et al., 2017 ; Fonagy et al., 2018; Segrott et al., 2022 ).”
- Authors
- Skarstrand, E., Sundell, K., & Andreasson, S.
- Affiliations
- National Board of Health and Welfare (SE)
- ORCID
- Sundell, K.
- Venue
- The European Journal of Public Health
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-09-27
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 578-584
- ISSN
- 1101-1262 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-360X
- OpenAlex
- W2159664892
- Cited by
- 61
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 2.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Forskningsrådet för Arbetsliv och Socialvetenskap
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Health and Behaviors
- Keywords
- adolescent alcohol use, underage drinking, family skills training, culturally tailored interventions, substance use prevention, smoking, illicit drug use, parental involvement, school-based intervention, intervention effectiveness
- MeSH terms
- Smoking Prevention, Adolescent, Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Family, Female, Humans, Male, Parents, Surveys and Questionnaires, Schools, Smoking, Sweden, Program Evaluation, Substance-Related Disorders
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