Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action
About This Program
Target Population: Parents and caregivers of youth ages 12-14
For children/adolescents ages: 12 – 14
For parents/caregivers of children ages: 12 – 14
Program Overview
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action is a school- and community-based intervention for middle school-aged youth designed to increase protective factors that prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; irresponsible sexual behavior; and violence. Family, school, and peer bonding are important objectives. The program includes a parent and teen component. The parent component uses the curriculum from Active Parenting of Teens. This curriculum is based on Adlerian parenting theory, which advocates mutual respect among family members, parental guidance, and use of an authoritative style of parental leadership that facilitates behavioral correction. A teen component was developed to complement the parent component.
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action uses a family-systems approach in which families attend sessions and learn skills. Each of the sessions includes time during which parents and youth meet in separate groups and time during which all family members meet together. Modules address parent-child communication, positive behavior management, interpersonal relationships for adolescents, ways for families to have fun together, enhancement of the adolescent's self-esteem, and factors that promote school success. Youth are taught about the negative social and physical effects of substance use, they learn general life skills and social resistance skills, and they are provided opportunities to practice these skills. Parents are taught skills to help reinforce their teen's skills training. During the portion of each session involving the youth and parents together, they participate in a family enrichment activity and receive a homework assignment to complete before the next session.
The program is offered in six weekly 2-and-1/2-hour long sessions. Typical groups consist of 5 to 12 families. Sessions use videos, group discussion, and role-plays, plus high-energy activities for the teens. Two leaders are needed, one for the parent portion and one for the teen portion, with one of the two leaders also leading the parents and teens combined.
This is one of 3 versions of Active Parenting reviewed and rated on this website (search Active Parenting above). There is also a version of Active Parenting for parents of children under 5 called "Active Parenting First Five Years"; while the program has not yet been reviewed by the CEBC, you can find more information about it at https://activeparenting.com/product-category/for-leaders/parenting-curriculums-for-leaders/ages-0-4-parenting-curriculums-for-leaders/.
Program Goals
The goals of Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action are:
- Teach parents a comprehensive model of parenting adolescents that will better enable them children to survive and thrive in a modern democratic society
- Teach teens the complementary life skills for surviving and thriving in a modern democratic society
- Decrease the amount of parent-teen relationship problems
- Improve teen behavior
- Improve teen welfare
Logic Model
The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action.
Essential Components
The essential elements of Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action include:
- Uses a multimodal, video-based delivery system:
- Brief video vignettes on new concepts and model both ineffective and positive parenting skills for each topic
- A structured Leader's Guide with a detailed structure for all aspects of the program.
- Experiential activities with key concepts and skills
- Leader-facilitated group discussion using the Leader's Guide
- Extensive PowerPoint slides (which some leaders prefer to put on charts or board as they go)
- Home assignments followed by next session feedback enhance learning
- A comprehensive Parent's Guide with all content, exercises, home assignments, and class activities
- Organized around strength development in teens
- Focuses on developing and enhancing five key qualities in children while at the same time teaching skills for improving everyday living in the family, school, and community:
- Five key qualities: Courage, responsibility, cooperation, mutual respect, and self-esteem
- Designed to be easy to lead
- Components of the program facilitate the leading of group sessions
- Leader training available through live workshops, but not required
- Designed to be flexible:
- Group Sessions
- Home visitation
- Media-based delivery or review (television or Internet)
Program Delivery
Child/Adolescent Services
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:
- Preteens and teens with oppositional behavior, problematic thoughts or traits, poor self-esteem, and lack of general life skills
Parent/Caregiver Services
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:
- Parents with poor parenting skills, lack of education regarding parenting techniques for more challenging children, and family problems; parent of a child with any of a wide range of problematic behaviors, thoughts, or traits including oppositional behavior, poor self-esteem, and a lack of general life skills
Services Involve Family/Support Structures:
This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: This is both a parenting education program and a teen life skills training program designed to improve teen functioning through change in the parent's knowledge, attitudes, and parenting skills as well as directly through the teen's own participation.
Recommended Intensity:
Weekly 2.5-hour-long group session
Recommended Duration:
Six weeks
Delivery Settings
This program is typically conducted in a(n):
- Hospital
- Outpatient Clinic
- Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
- Other
- School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)
Homework
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action includes a homework component:
Each session concludes with homework assignments designed to aid parents and teens in applying new information and skills with their families at home. These assignments are supported in the Participant's Guide and then followed up the next session by the leader using questions from the Leader's Guide.
Languages
Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action has materials available in a language other than English:
Spanish
For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).
Resources Needed to Run Program
The typical resources for implementing the program are:
Groups are usually led by two co-leaders (one for the parents and one for the teens) with a mental health, education, or youth work background. In addition, a comfortable room that will seat 10-20 parents in chairs; a TV and DVD player; either a means of projecting a Power Point presentation and/or a white board or flip chart.
Manuals and Training
Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications
This is left up to the providing organization, but most leaders have a degree in mental health, education, or a related field.
Manual Information
There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.
Program Manual(s)
Popkin, M., & Hendrickson, P. (2012). Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action leader’s guide. Active Parenting Publishers. https://activeparenting.com/product/active-parenting-of-teens-families-in-action-leaders-guide/
Training Information
There is training available for this program.
Training Contact:
- Micole Mason
micole@activeparenting.com
phone: (678) 738-0465
Training Type/Location:
Via webinar or by special arrangement for organizations with 8 or more participants.
Number of days/hours:
One day (7 hours)
Implementation Information
Pre-Implementation Materials
There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action.
Formal Support for Implementation
There is no formal support available for implementation of Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action.
Fidelity Measures
There are fidelity measures for Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action as listed below:
The Quality Assurance Protocol is a 40-page document containing the same instructions and handouts used when doing research on the Families in Action program. If you need to do research or run your program in strict compliance with the protocol, this packet is for you.
Quality Assurance Protocol packet:https://activeparenting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1758-FIA2-QA-Protocol-1.pdf
Implementation Guides or Manuals
There are implementation guides or manuals for Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action as listed below:
The Quality Assurance Protocol is a 40-page document containing the same instructions and handouts used when doing the original research on the Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action program. It contains checklists and other information on how to implement a successful program in your community.
Quality Assurance Protocol packet: https://activeparenting.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1758-FIA2-QA-Protocol-1.pdf
Implementation Cost
There are no studies of the costs of Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action.
Research on How to Implement the Program
Research has not been conducted on how to implement Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action.
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research
Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being
Abbey, A., Pilgrim, C., Hendrickson, P., & Lorenz, S. L. (1998). Implementation and impact of a family-based substance abuse prevention program in rural communities. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 18(3), 341–361. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024659012360
Type of Study:
Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)
Number of Participants:
1,072 (568 students 504 parents)
Population:
- Age — Not specified
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — Not specified
- Status — Participants were students entering middle or junior high school.
Location/Institution: Rural Northeastern Michigan
Summary:
(To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Families in Action (FIA) program [now called Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action]. Families who chose to participate in the program were compared to nonparticipating families; there were significant differences between the groups at baseline. Measures utilized include the Family Environment Scale, the Effective School Battery, and the Inventory of Peer Attachment. Results indicate that controlling for initial differences found several positive effects of program participation at the one-year follow-up. The results were strongest for boys. Limitations include lack of randomization, small sample size, and lack of generalizability due to population selection.
Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 year.
Abbey, A., Pilgrim, C., Hendrickson, P., & Buresh, S. (2000). Evaluation of a family-based substance abuse prevention program targeted for the middle school years. Journal of Drug Education, 30(2), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.2190/GT8C-ELWH-HY94-ECG9
Type of Study:
Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)
Number of Participants:
459 (297 students and 162 parents)
Population:
- Age — Intervention students: 59% age 12 and older
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — Intervention students: 52% Male
- Status — Participants were students entering middle or junior high school, recruited through advertisement in schools, PSAs, community human service, and civic groups.
Location/Institution: Rural Northeastern Michigan
Summary:
(To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Families in Action (FIA) program [now called Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action]. Students and parents who voluntarily completed the FIA program were compared to all other students and families in the school who did not complete the FIA program. Measures utilized include the Family Environment Scale, the Effective School Battery, the Inventory of Peer Attachment, and the Piers-Harris Children’s Self Concept Scale. Results indicate that FIA participants had higher family cohesion, less family fighting, greater school attachment, higher self-esteem, and believed that alcohol should be consumed at an older age at the one year follow-up. There were fewer significant results for parent participants. Limitations include the lack of randomization, high attrition, and concerns about generalizability.
Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: Approximately 10 months.
Additional References
CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) Review. (2001). Padres Activos de Hoy. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. CLAS #CL03985. https://activeparenting.com/for-leaders/research-studies-tools-and-tests/research-studies/padres-activos-de-hoy/
Popkin, M. (1991). Active Parenting: A video-based program, In M. Fine (Ed.), The second handbook of parent education, (pp. 77–98). Academic Press.
Contact Information
- Michael Popkin, PhD
- Agency/Affiliation: Active Parenting Publishers
- Website: www.activeparenting.com
- Email: docpop@activeparenting.com
- Phone: (678) 738-0462
- Fax: (770) 429-0565
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: February 2023
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: March 2021
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: January 2013
