Generalizing treatment outcomes to externalizing behaviors for Latino/a adolescents with substance use disorders: A secondary analysis.

Abstract

Objective: Substance use treatment for adolescents may decrease not only substance use, but also other related outcomes such as externalizing behaviors. Although positively correlated to substance use in youth, externalizing behaviors are not commonly measured as outcomes in the context of substance use treatment. This study seeks to generalize the outcomes of substance use treatment to externalizing behaviors in a sample of Latino/a adolescents who participated in a randomized clinical trial. Method: Secondary data analysis was conducted using a longitudinal mixed model to test the outcomes of two versions of a cognitive-behavioral substance use treatment (i.e., standard and culturally accommodated) on externalizing behaviors. Participants were Latino/a adolescents (N = 70) diagnosed with a substance use disorder randomized into one of the two study conditions. Results: The results indicated that Latino/a adolescents in both treatment conditions significantly decreased in self-reported externalizing behaviors from pretreatment to 12-months posttreatment. Conclusions: Implications from this study suggest that participation in substance use treatment for Latino/a adolescents may also generalize to other outcomes such as externalizing behaviors. Public Health Significance StatementIn adolescents, substance use disorders are associated with other risks such as externalizing behavior. The results of this study indicate that Latino/a adolescents with substance use disorders who participated in a group-based substance use treatment demonstrated decreases in externalizing behavior across study time points. This study has implications for the generalization of group-based substance use treatment outcomes for adolescents in general, and Latino/a adolescents in particular.