Parent Attendance in a Family-Based Preventive Intervention Delivered in Latin America and the United States

In Latin America, there is an increasing interest in the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based, family-centered interventions to prevent youth behavioral problems. While families’ participation in interventions is integral to achieving the interventions’ desired impact, little is known about what predicts Latin American families’ attendance. The current study provides a unique opportunity to explore the participation of families living in the United States, Ecuador, and Chile in an evidence-based intervention, Familias Unidas. We tested for differences in attendance rates, family functioning variables, and adolescent behavioral problem variables, then applied a hierarchical multiple regression to (a) identify which variables significantly predicted program attendance and (b) assess whether the country in which the intervention was implemented in moderated the relationship between predictors and program attendance. On average, Chilean and Ecuadorian parents were more engaged and attended more sessions than parents living in the United States. Across samples, there was significant differences in family functioning and adolescent behavioral problem variables. However, effective parent–adolescent communication was the only significant predictor of lower program attendance. A significant interaction effect revealed that even though Chilean parents had high parent–adolescent communication, they were more likely to attend sessions, compared to parents living in the United States. We highlight the promise of engaging and retaining families, across U.S. and Latin American samples, into a culturally syntonic, family-based intervention, and discuss potential explanations for success in Chile and Ecuador. Researchers interested in implementing interventions in Latin America could utilize these findings to better target participants and intervention efforts.