The effectiveness of family strengthening program on increasing adolescents' mental health

In examining the effect of family role on children's problems, family function has been paid the most attention. Therefore, intervention and correction of family functions can have promising results in the field of adolescent health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Persian version of the Family Strengthening Program and its adaptation to Iranian culture for use in parents with adolescents aged 10-14 years.

The research was applied in terms of purpose and experimental in terms of data collection method with pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The study population was all parents and teachers of fourth to sixth grade students (10-14 years old) in the country. The sample was selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling method.The sample group consisted of 691 parents (387 in the experimental group and 304 in the control group) and 70 teachers from seven provinces. Parents and adolescents were divided into groups with equal volume and random assignment.  The Parental Assessment Questionnaire of the Family Strengthening Program (Molgard and Spout, 2001) and the Problems and Ability Questionnaire (Goodman, Meltzer, & Bailey, 2003) were used to collect data.

Findings from multivariate analysis of covariance showed that group training of family strengthening program on improving family functions, abilities, reducing the profile of problems Externalization (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and Internalization Problems (Emotional Problems and Peer Problems) of adolescents whose parents received this intervention or training are more effective than adolescents whose parents did not receive this intervention.

The skills taught to parents and adolescents in the Family Strengthening Program to reduce the risk of adolescent addiction lead to the strengthening of individual and interpersonal abilities of family members and thus reduce behavioral-emotional problems including problems of antisocial behaviors, problems with peers, attention deficit and increased societal behaviors became common in adolescents. Therefore, it can be said that the Persian version of the program to strengthen the foundation of the family has the necessary qualifications to be used in the country.