Social Validity of the Strengthening Families Program in Northeastern Brazil: the Voices of Parents, Adolescents, and Facilitators

In 2013, Brazil’s Ministry of Health adopted the Strengthening Families Program (SFP 10–14), developed internationally for preventing drug abuse by enhancing family bonds. The social validity of the objectives, procedures, and perceived impacts of the program were investigated for participants and facilitators in northeastern Brazil. Focus groups with parents/guardians ( N = 199), adolescents ( N = 111), and facilitators ( N = 100) were implemented. Content analysis revealed that the program’s objectives were considered socially relevant and that there was a positive short-term perceived impact on family cohesion, authoritative parenting style, adolescent life skills, and the facilitators’ professional capacity. The parents/guardians and adolescents presented a positive perception of the appropriateness of the program’s methodology, while facilitators indicated the need to adapt it to vulnerable families and improve its implementation conditions. Future studies may benefit from these findings when developing similarly viable and scalable interventions in low-resource settings. Brazilian Trial Register RBR-7q9xh5. Registered 5 August 2017, http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-7q9xh5/