title: Impact of Ethnic Composition on Mechanisms of Change in School-Based Substance Use Intervention Groups.
abstract: Delivering alcohol use intervention services in the school setting represents a key approach to engaging youth of all backgrounds, particularly underserved populations, in such programming. Relative progress has been made toward implementing culturally responsive services for youth; however, little is known about the role of ethnic composition on group processes purported to underlie mechanisms of change. We examined associations between ethnic group composition and therapeutic processes within a voluntary, school-based alcohol use intervention at seven schools across three cities (N groups = 353). Ethnic composition was characterized as: group ethnic diversity on a continuum, group ethnic homogeneity (i.e., where at least 66% of participants shared the same ethnicity), and comparing groups where one of the three largest ethnicities in the sample reached the majority (i.e., African-American vs. Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic white). Ratings on group processes were obtained from participants (satisfaction; belonging), facilitators (empathy; rapport), and coders (engagement; responsiveness). Mixed-effects models revealed that students in groups with African-American and Hispanic majorities reported a higher sense of satisfaction compared to groups with non-Hispanic white majorities. Facilitators endorsed expressing empathy more frequently with majority African-American and Hispanic groups than with non-Hispanic white groups. Study findings highlight the importance of considering different dimensions of ethnic composition when examining mechanisms of change in group intervention research.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, Pomona College, 647 N College Way, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA. gbacio@pomona.edu.
authors.forename: Guadalupe A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bacio
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Tracey A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005006:Ethnicity; D017144:Focus Groups; D006126:Group Processes; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D062405:Motivational Interviewing; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Group ethnic composition; Group processes; School-based interventions