Overview
The goal of this study is to pilot an adapted family resilience program among families with a recent history of homelessness and parental substance use disorders in Los Angeles County and to assess for feasibility and acceptability. The investigators have adapted a family resilience program called Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS), a trauma-informed intervention designed for families experiencing trauma, for families experiencing homelessness and parental substance use disorders. Our primary hypothesis is that the adapted family resilience program will be feasible and acceptable to families with a recent history of homelessness and parental substance use disorder. Families that are eligible to participate in the study will be assigned randomly to one of two groups, 1) adapted family resilience intervention group; 2) treatment as usual group. For the intervention group, the program consists of around 8 sessions lasting up to one hour each. The program provides psychoeducation and teaches resilience skills including communication, problem solving, goal setting, and how to deal with stress. For the families assigned to the treatment as usual group, they will continue to receive case management services from their residential facilities. Families in both groups will be asked to fill out 3 surveys (one at the beginning of the program, one at the end of the program, and at 6 months follow-up). Some families in the intervention group may also be asked to participate in a hour long interview after the completion of the program for feedback on the program.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- English speaking
- Parent/guardian/caregiver has a history of a substance use disorder (SUD) within the past 3 years
- Family has a history of homelessness within the past two years (homelessness defined by the Department of Health and Human Services definition)
- Parent/guardian/caregiver has custody of and cares for a youth between the ages of 8-14
- Both youth and parent/guardian/caregiver are able to take part in an 8 week session intervention
Exclusion Criteria:
- Does not meet inclusion criteria
- Has taken part in a Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS) intervention previously