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01-10-2018

The Protecting Strong African American Families Program: a Randomized Controlled Trial with Rural African American Couples

Authors: Allen W. Barton, Steven R. H. Beach, Ashley C. Wells, Justin B. Ingels, Phaedra S. Corso, Megan C. Sperr, Tracy N. Anderson, Gene H. Brody

Published in: Prevention Science | Issue 7/2018

Abstract

This study presents results from a randomized controlled trial of the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) program, a family-centered intervention designed to promote strong couple, coparenting, and parent-child relationships in two-parent African American families. A total of 346 African American couples with an early adolescent child participated; all families lived in rural, low-income communities in the southern USA. Intent-to-treat growth curve analyses involving three waves and spanning 17 months indicated that ProSAAF participants, compared with control participants, reported greater improvements in relationship communication, confidence, satisfaction, partner support, coparenting, and parenting. More than 80% of the couples attended all six of the in-home, facilitator-led sessions; costs to implement the program averaged $1739 per family. The findings inform the ongoing debate surrounding prevention programs for low-income and ethnic minority couples.

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Results for females remained unchanged in non-dyadic analyses that included the addition of four female participants from same-sex dyads.

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Title: The Protecting Strong African American Families Program: a Randomized Controlled Trial with Rural African American Couples
Authors: Allen W. Barton
Steven R. H. Beach
Ashley C. Wells
Justin B. Ingels
Phaedra S. Corso
Megan C. Sperr
Tracy N. Anderson
Gene H. Brody
Publication date: 01-10-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Prevention Science / Issue 7/2018
Print ISSN: 1389-4986
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6695
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0895-4

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