Skill training versus 12-step facilitation for parents of substance-abusing teens

• Parents of substance abusing adolescents who received 12 weeks of coping skills training (CST) showed more skillfulness in dealing with the adolescent's substance use than did parents receiving Twelve Step Facilitation (TSF).
• Parents in both CST and TSF were more skillful than parents who were in a wait list control condition.
• The percentage of parent problem days (PPD)—days when the adolescent's substance use caused a problem—also was reduced in CST and TSF, relative to wait list control.

Distressed parents (N = 85) with a substance-abusing adolescent not receiving treatment were randomized to 12 weeks of coping skill training (CST), 12-step facilitation (TSF), or delayed treatment control (DTC). At the end of treatment/delay, CST showed greater coping skillfulness than TSF, and both CST and TSF were more skillful than DTC. The percentage of parent problem days (PPD)—days when the adolescent's substance use caused a problem—also was reduced in CST and TSF, relative to DTC. Both CST and TSF reported significantly reduced monthly PPD by the end of a 12-month follow-up. Skill training and TSF interventions appear equally effective for this underserved parent population.