Strengthening Families Outcomes

Evaluative studies using the Strengthening Families Program™ have shown the following:

• Significant reductions in tobacco, alcohol, and drug initiation and use among the older children of drug abusers and in initiation and drug use among the parents;
• Decreased use and intention to use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs;
• Better and stronger protective factors in youths, in particular social and life skills, resistance to peer pressure and improved communication;
• Better parent-child relationships and family cohesion, communication and organization;
• Improved parenting skills concerning, for example, parental supervision, effective consequences rather than extreme punishments, greater consistency including family customs, and closer bonds between parents and their children;
• Fewer youth behavioural problems (e.g., substance abuse, behaviour disorders, aggression, violence and juvenile delinquency) and emotional problems (e.g., depression and psychosomatic disorders); and,
• A decrease in child abuse, as parents learn to form strong bonds with their children and develop positive parenting skills