Efficacy of intervention for engaging youth and families into treatment and some variables that may contribute to differential effectiveness

This study reports data on the efficacy of Strategic Structural Systems Engagement (SSSE), which is designed to bring hard-to-reach families into treatment. The study also explores variables that may contribute to differential effectiveness. Participants were 193 Hispanic families, who were randomly assigned to either experimental or control conditions. Several important findings emerged. First, the overall results replicated earlier findings showing the superiority of SSSE: 81% of SSSE families, compared to 60% of control families, were successfully engaged, X²(I, N = 193) = 7.5, p < .001. Second, SSSE interventions were more successful with non-Cuban Hispanics (97% successfully engaged) than with Cuban Hispanics (64% successfully engaged), X²(I. N = 51) = 7.53, p = .006. Third, an analysis of intervention failures suggests a mechanism by which culture and ethnicity influence clinical processes (resistance to engagement) and may result in differential effectiveness.