Skill training versus 12-step facilitation for parents of substance-abusing teens.

Distressed parents (N=85) with a substance-abusing adolescent not receiving treatment were randomized to 12 weeks of coping skill training (CST), 12-step facilitation (TSF), or delayed treatment control (DTC). At the end of treatment/delay, CST showed greater coping skillfulness than TSF, and both CST and TSF were more skillful than DTC. The percentage of parent problem days (PPD)-days when the adolescent's substance use caused a problem-also was reduced in CST and TSF, relative to DTC. Both CST and TSF reported significantly reduced monthly PPD by the end of a 12-month follow-up. Skill training and TSF interventions appear equally effective for this underserved parent population.