The sample consisted of 598 seventh-grade adolescents and their Mexican American parents from 5 junior high schools that served primarily low-income populations (80% of students were eligible for free lunches) in a large southwestern metropolitan area with a substantial proportion of Mexican American and European American families and a relatively smaller proportion of families from other ethnic/racial groups. Family incomes ranged from $1,000 per year to $150,000 per year, with a mean of $36,310 per year. The original study aimed to recruit Mexican-origin families into a program designed to prevent high school dropout and mental and behavioral health disorders in youth. Sixty-two percent of the 955 eligible families enrolled and completed the first wave of assessments. In addition, the project required that both parents and youth be able to participate in the assessments and the intervention sessions in the same language; 6% of the families were ineligible because of this requirement. The current investigation uses data from the assessments that occurred prior to exposure to the intervention.
Of the 598 adolescents, 303 (50.6%) were female, 295 (49.2%) were male, 112 (18.7%) were born in Mexico, and 447 (74.7%) were born in the United States. Adolescents ranged in age from 11 to 14 years, with a mean age of 12.3 years. Three hundred and nineteen adolescents (53.4%) were interviewed in Spanish and 278 in English (46.6%). Of the parents, 573 mothers and 331 fathers participated in the interviews. Among the mothers, 347 (60.6%) were born in Mexico, 222 (38.7%) were born in the United States (4 mothers did not report their birthplace), 314 (54.8%) were interviewed in Spanish and 259 (45.2%) were interviewed in English. Among the fathers, 227 (68.6%) were born in Mexico, 104 (31.4%) were born in the United States, 200 (60.4%) were interviewed in Spanish and 131 (39.6%) were interviewed in English.
In-home interviews were conducted by trained interviewers using laptop computers. Interviewers were trained to conduct the parent and child surveys in separate rooms and/or out of hearing of other family members. Interviewers read each survey question and possible responses aloud in either Spanish or English to reduce problems associated with variations in literacy. All measures were translated and back-translated to ensure equivalence of all content (Behling & Law, 2000 ). Family members received $30 for participating, for a total of $60 for one-parent and $90 for two-parent families.
Of the 598 adolescents, 303 (50.6%) were female, 295 (49.2%) were male, 112 (18.7%) were born in Mexico, and 447 (74.7%) were born in the United States. Adolescents ranged in age from 11 to 14 years, with a mean age of 12.3 years. Three hundred and nineteen adolescents (53.4%) were interviewed in Spanish and 278 in English (46.6%). Of the parents, 573 mothers and 331 fathers participated in the interviews. Among the mothers, 347 (60.6%) were born in Mexico, 222 (38.7%) were born in the United States (4 mothers did not report their birthplace), 314 (54.8%) were interviewed in Spanish and 259 (45.2%) were interviewed in English. Among the fathers, 227 (68.6%) were born in Mexico, 104 (31.4%) were born in the United States, 200 (60.4%) were interviewed in Spanish and 131 (39.6%) were interviewed in English.
In-home interviews were conducted by trained interviewers using laptop computers. Interviewers were trained to conduct the parent and child surveys in separate rooms and/or out of hearing of other family members. Interviewers read each survey question and possible responses aloud in either Spanish or English to reduce problems associated with variations in literacy. All measures were translated and back-translated to ensure equivalence of all content (Behling & Law, 2000 ). Family members received $30 for participating, for a total of $60 for one-parent and $90 for two-parent families.