ISAP Research Projects
Name of Project: Life Interventions for Family
Effectiveness
Principal Investigator: Donnie Watson, Ph. D.
Funding Agency: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
(CSAT)
Funding Period: September 2001-September 2004
Scope of Project: The Life Interventions for
Family Effectiveness (LIFE) project assesses the feasibility and
efficacy of a family based,
scientifically driven, and comprehensive approach to substance
abuse interventions for extremely at-risk adolescents. The LIFE
project seeks to generate new knowledge regarding community-based
integrated substance abuse treatment, screening, and early intervention
for adjudicated adolescents and their families in an alternative
school. The population served is at-risk Latino and African American
adolescents who attend an alternative school as a result of numerous
delinquent behaviors. The cornerstone of the social delivery model
is the Matrix Model for Adolescent Addiction delivered at school,
community locations, or the students’ homes. The other essential
components of the model are computer literacy programs and computer-assisted
graphic arts and musical programming delivered in the school setting.
Forty youngsters who attend an alternative school in Los Angeles
and their families receive comprehensive interventions. Their
outcomes are compared to 40 participants at a comparison school
who receive the standard social services.
For more information, contact Donnie
Watson.
Last updated - 07/04/2003