Karol L. Kumpfer, Ph.D., (Pawnee) is a psychologist and University of Utah Professor Emeritus. She developed the evidence-based Strengthening Families Program (SFP), which is considered one of the most effect drug prevention programs by states, federal government and international websites and raters, including the Oxford University Cochrane Reviews.

In 2008, she was awarded the prestigious Community and Cultural Research award by the Society for Prevention Research. She was also their first woman president in 1998. She has published and presented widely and internationally including a 2017 Academic Press book on Evidence-based Family Interventions. Currently she is PI on a HHS National Institute on Drug Abuse -Small Business grant to put SFP 7-17 Home-use DVD / video series into a web-based gamified version in collaboration with Jaynie Brown, CEO of their Strengthening Families Program LLC and their Strengthening Families Foundation.

A. Contribution to Science

Efficacy Studies of Family Skills Training. My early work beginning in 1982 contributed to family intervention research by developing and evaluating the efficacy on the first NIDA RCT of a family skills training intervention for the highest risk youth for substance abuse—namely children of parents in drug treatment. Since this selective prevention intervention, the Strengthening Families Program, had to be a strong dosage, we based it on four family treatment EBIs including Patterson’s parent training, Forehand and McMahon’s Helping the Non-compliant Child, Gurney’s family therapy, plus Spivack and Shur’s I Can Problem Solve for the child skills training component. In a four group dismantling design, we found that the full three component SFP compared to PT only, CT only or PT + CT was the most effective in improving significantly the outcome variables.Later in 1995 as Co-PI on a 5-year NIDA RCT with Drs. Richard Spoth and Virginia Molgaard at Iowa State University, we developed a universal school-based older age version, called SFP 10 to 14 Years that has been found to be the most effective school-based substance abuse prevention program by the Cochrane Reviews (Foxcroft, et al., 2003; 2012). With Dr. Whiteside, we also developed and tested SFP age versions for higher risk adolescents, SFP 12-16 and younger children, SFP 3-5 on SAMHSA grants. A later 5-year RO1 NIAAA grant to Dr. Kumpfer tested SFP6-11 in Canada and the USA (Maguine, et al., in review).Recent studies find that SFP also can significantly reduce child maltreatment and cut foster care in half (Brook, et al., 2013). This work contributed to the body of research suggesting that working with the whole family is more effective than just the youth only for prevention of child development issues.

 Cultural Adaptations Studies. Once the original SFP research was published by NIDA and in peer reviewed journals, we had states requesting us to develop culturally adapted versions to be tested in various cultural groups—African Americans in Detroit, Hispanics in Denver, Pacific Islanders in Hawaii, and American Indians in New Mexico and Utah. All of these community trials funded by SAMHSA and were successful with positive outcomes that were clinically meaningful. They contributed to developing a system or steps to cultural adaptation that have now been used successfully in 36 countries and have informed other prevention and treatment interventions on ways to culturally adapt their EBI and still maintain fidelity and excellent outcomes.Most broadly, my work contributes to the scientific question of how to reduce health disparities in diverse populations and to extend the reach of effective mental health interventions to more populations and settings. To advance knowledge in the field these results were published in these selected journals. As a Native American psychologist (Pawnee), also have 30 years of applied cultural adaptation research experience working as the PI with diverse ethnic populations on federal NIDA, NIAAA, SAMHSA CSAP and CSAT, and DoEd, UNODC, and different country cross-site SFP evaluation grants (Canada, Thailand, Ireland, Italy, France, Austria, Iran, etc.).

Dissemination of Family EBIs. Another research focus of mine has been systematic reviews of evidence-based family interventions and disseminating the evidence-based family interventions to help practitioners to implement family interventions that work. In the mid-1990s we conducted national family EBI reviews for the Strengthening America’s Families initiative for the DOJ Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) that included surveys and literature reviews, scoring of evidence-base, expert reviews and dissemination of the best family EBIs through a web-site www.strengtheningfamilies.org and regional and annual national conferences. Funding was also provided for technical assistance and free trainings by the program developers.In the mid-2000s our team conducted a similar international search for the UN Office of Drugs including meetings in Vienna with expert reviewers from 15 countries. Results were a Guidebook and website of family EBIs. Publications on these family EBI dissemination efforts include also an August 2016 Psychology Press book on Family –based Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents.

Enhancing Resilience in Children. Positive behavioral outcomes in children are enhanced through caring adults promoting resilience. Hence, a number of my contributions to science have been original etiological statistical modeling research studies such as the Social Ecology SEM Model finding that the family environment is the most predictive of behavioral health outcomes in adolescents. Another SEM modeling project on 8,5000 adolescents of all major ethnicities when I was CSAP Director provided the etiological justification for funding family EBIs in 150 communities for five years that helped to reduce the drug epidemic in the mid-1990s.Another major contribution to science was my theoretical framework for resilience. Publications in this area of inquiry include the Kumpfer (1999) Resilience Framework, which has been used by other researchers.

Effectiveness of Prevention Interventions for Girls and Women: We have also conducted an international search for gender sub-group analyses of EBI substance abuse prevention and treatment programs to see if they work for girls as well as boys. We found only 14 gender subgroup analyses. Of those conducted, all of the family interventions worked for both boys and girls, but the youth only programs worked only for boys. Also there were only two prevention interventions designed specifically for girls, suggesting that with more content specifically tailored to the needs of girls, that these EBIs would be more effective in preventing mental health, substance abuse and mental health problems in girls (Kumpfer, 2014).

SFP Home-Use DVD: In collaboration with my business partner, Jaynie Brown, we created a SFP Home-use DVD version of my Strengthening Families Program. Though shorter in length than the group classes, small studies (81 families) have found similar results to the group class versions among families with the functional ability to view it – and re-review it multiple times.  Sold through our SFP non-profit foundation the DVDs can be purchased for $5 each (or viewed on the web for $5 per year). It thus provides a substantial low-cost family-focused substance abuse and delinquency prevention intervention.The SFP DVD  has a companion group class version that uses the SFP DVD video clips during the instruction is called the Strengthening Families Program 7-17 Years (SFP).  It is shorter at 11-sessions, but SFP 7-17 classes have shown equal results when compared to the regular SFP classes.

SFP Online: My next goal is to develop an entertaining interactive gamified web version using the existing SFP DVD video clips.  Its purpose is to prevent and reduce adolescent substance abuse and other undesirable developmental outcomes (e.g., criminality, mental disorders, HIV and STDs, unwanted pregnancy and child maltreatment—all of which have been significantly reduced in families participating in SFP (Brook, et al., 2016; Brody, et al., 2014; Kumpfer, et al., 2016). I have over 30 years’ experience in evaluations of family EBIs and have done the outcome evaluations for sites implementing SFP in over 36 countries.  Hence, I know what works and doesn’t work in design of outcome instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis.SFP is designed to promote resilience and reduce risks for substance abuse and mental health problems in high-risk parents and children. SFP is an excellent choice for web development, because SFP has been found to be the most effective prevention program in reducing adolescent substance abuse (Cochrane Reviews/Foxcroft, et al., 2003, 2012; WHO 2006; Miller & Hendrie, 2008)By making SFP more accessible and less costly than the $1,400 per family for my evidence-based Strengthening Families Program (SFP), I hope to increase dissemination and reduce health disparities throughout the world.

B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment

9/72- 9/80     Assistant Professor of Psychology at Oberlin College, University of Utah, University of Minnesota, Colorado Women’s College, University of Denver
7/78- 7/80     Clinical Psychologist, Valley Community Mental Health (alcohol and drug treatment)
7/80- 6/84    Deputy Director, Utah State Division of Alcoholism and Drugs (SDAD).
6/84 – 7/89    Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Health Sciences Center.
6/84 – 7/89    Associate Professor, Social Research Institute, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Utah.
7/89 – 7/16      Professor, Dept. of Health Promotion and Education, University of Utah.
2/98 – 3/00    Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA, Washington, DC (developed NREPP, American Indian Initiative and got funding for 150 communities to do a family EBI).
7/89- on    Research Director, Lutra Group, now Alta Institute and SFP LLC.

Other Experience and Professional Memberships (selected)

1994-    on        Member, American Psych Assoc., Seligman’s Presidential Task Force on Resilience
1993 -1998    Member, NIDA-G Peer Review Committee: Epidemiology and Prevention Research
2005- on        Ad hoc reviewer, NIMH Center grants
1998-2000        President, Society for Prevention Research (first woman president, started PS journal)
1999 – on        Executive Committee, Salt Lake City Mayor’s Drug-free Communities (DFC) Coalition
2000 – on        Member, Board of Directors, and Exec Comm. Drug-free Communities Coalition, Utah Urban Indian Center
Honors (selected)
2000            Luther Terry Lecturer Award, U.S. Public Health Service, Commission Corps
2000            Distinguished Service Award, Executive Office of the U.S. President
2008    Community, Culture and Prevention Science Award, Society for Prevention Research

C. Current Research Support

Public Safety Canada                                                                7/1/17- 6/30/22
Cross-site Evaluation of SFP 12-16 in Canada                                        Role: PI
ASERT Belfast, Northern Ireland                                                    7/2007-2020
Cultural Adaptation and Evaluation of SFP 12-16 in    Belfast                        Role: PI

Selected Completed Research Support

R01 DA 02758-01-04                                                                06/01/82-5/30/86
National Institute of Drug Abuse                                                    Role: PI
Prevention Services to Children of Substance Abusing Parents
R01 AA 01164 -01-06                                                                06/01/99-5/30/06
National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse                                Role: PI
Long-term Follow-up of the Strengthening Families Program
R01 DA 108525                                                                    3/01/98-8/31/04
National Institute of Drug Abuse                                                    Role: PI
Strengthening Washington D.C. Families
R01 DA 108525                                                                    3/01/2003- 8/31/04
Research Supplements for Minority Summer Internship Program                 Role: PI
T1-02-007                                                                            10/01/02-9/30/05

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment                                                Role: PI
Raindancer Youth Services Adolescent Drug/Alcohol Treatment Project Utah
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention     (SAMHSA/CSAP)                        10/01/2011-2016
STOP Alcohol grant funding $250,000 over five years testing DVD in health        Role: Co-PI
classes in SLC  schools
US DHHA Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau            10/01/2013- 2018
3 $500,000 RPG grants over five years (Oklahoma, Iowa, and Delaware)            Role: Evaluator

Selected List of Published Work in NCBI My Bibliography See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/53126324/?sort=date&direction=ascendinghttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/53126324/?sort=date&direction=ascending

Recent Papers

1. Kumpfer KL, Brown JL. A parenting behavior intervention (Strengthening Families Program) for families: noninferiority trial of different program delivery methods. JMIR Pediatr Parent 2019; 2(2):e14751.  http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/14751.
2. Kumpfer, K. L., Magalhães, C, & Ahearn Greene, J. (2015). Strengthening Families Program: Chapter 18: In Ponzetti, J. (Ed.). Evidence-based Parenting Education: A global Perspective. NYC: Routledge. pp 277-293.
3. Kumpfer, K. L., Magalhães, C., & Kanse, S. (2016). Family structure, culture, and family-based interventions for health promotion. In Korin, M. (Ed.), The Handbook of Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents (pp.57-85). New York, NY: Springer.
4. Kumpfer, K. L. L, Magalhães, C, Whiteside, H., & Xie, J. (2016).  Strengthening Families for middle/late childhood. Chapter 4 in Van Ryzin, M., Kumpfer, K.L., Fosco, G. & Greenberg, M. (Eds.) Family-Centered Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Large-Scale Dissemination (pp. 68-86). New York, NY: Psychology Press.
5. Kumpfer, K. L.., Xie, J. Magalhães, C, & Brown, J. (2017). Strengthening Families Program. J. Lebow, (ed.). Encyclopedia of Families and Couples
6. Kumpfer, K.L., Magalhães, C., & Xie, J. (2017). Cultural adaptation and implementation of family EBIs for diverse populations. Prevention Science, 18(6), 649-659.
7. Kumpfer, K.L., Scheier, L.M, & Brown, J. (2018). Strategies to avoid replication evaluation failure with evidence-based prevention interventions: Examples from the Strengthening Families Program. Evaluation and Health Professions, May 2, 2018.
8. Kumpfer, K. L. & Magalhães, C, (2018). Strengthening Families Program: An evidence-based family intervention for parents of high-risk children and adolescents Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse.27(3), 174-179
9. Scheier LM, Kumpfer KL, Brown JL, Hu Q. “Formative Evaluation to Build an Online Parenting Skills and Youth Drug Prevention Program: Mixed Methods Study.” JMIR Formative Research 2019; 2(2):e14906.  http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/14906.

 

PUBLICATIONS ON Efficacy Studies of Family Skills Training:

1. Kumpfer, K. L, Alvarado, R, Tait, C., & Turner, C. (2002). Effectiveness of school-based family and children’s skills training for substance abuse prevention among 6-8 year old rural children. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16 (4), 65-71.  [PMID: 12502278]
2. Gottfredson, D., Kumpfer, K.L., Polizzi-Fox, D., Wilson, D., Puryear, V, Beatty, P., & Vilmenay, M. (2006). Strengthening Washington, D.C. Families Project:  A randomized effectiveness trial of family- based prevention, Prevention Science, 7(1), 57-74.  [PMID: 16555144]
3. Kumpfer, K.L., Whiteside, H. O., Greene, J. A., & Allen, K.C. (2010). Effectiveness outcomes of four age versions of the Strengthening Families Program in statewide field sites. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice. 14(3), 211–229.
4. Kumpfer, K.L., Xie, J. & O’Driscoll, R. (2012).  Effectiveness of a culturally adapted Strengthening Families Program 12-16 Years for high risk Irish families. Child and Youth Care Forum, 39 (1), Sage Publications, LA, CA.
5. Kumpfer, K.L., & Magalhães, C. (2018). Strengthening Families Program: An evidence-based family intervention for parents of high-risk children and adolescents. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 27(3), 174-179.
6. Kumpfer, K.L., Silva, M., Xie, J., Kanse, S., Brown, J., Fenollar, J. & Cofrin-Allen, K.  (in review). Effectiveness of the Strengthening Families Program 7 to 17 Years Family Group and Home Use DVD Versions compared to the evidence-based SFP 12-16 Years group outcomes. Journal of Family Social Work
7. Kumpfer, K.L, Fenollar, J. & Silva, M. (in prep). Outcomes of an evidence-based family intervention for prevention of drug abuse in high risk youth in Mexico. Jo. Substance Use and Abuse.
8. Kumpfer, K.L., Alvarado, R., Scheier, L., Hu, Q.Q & Alder, S. (in prep). Four-year outcomes of a Kumpfer, K. L. & Magalhães, C, (2018). Strengthening Families Program randomized trial of the Strengthening Families Program and I Can Problem Solve for substance abuse prevention among rural 6-8 year old students. Prevention Science,

 

PUBLICATIONS ON Cultural Adaptations Studies:

1. Kumpfer, K. L., Alvarado, R., Smith, P. & Bellamy, N. (2002).  Cultural sensitivity in universal family-based prevention interventions. Prevention Science, 3 (3), 241-244.
2. Kumpfer, K. L., Pinyuchon, M., de Melo, A., & Whiteside, H. (2008). Cultural adaptation process for international dissemination of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP).  Evaluation and Health Professions. 33 (2), 226-239.
3. Kumpfer, K.L., Magalhães, C., & Xie, J. (2017). Cultural adaptation and implementation of family EBIs for diverse populations. Prevention Science, 18(6), 649-659.
4. Kumpfer, K.L, & Alvarado, R. (2003). Family strengthening approaches for the prevention of youth problem behaviors, American Psychologist, 58,(6/7), 457-465.  [PMID: 12971192]
5. Kumpfer, K.L. Alvarado, R., & Whiteside, H.O. (2003).  Family-based interventions for substance abuse prevention.  Substance Use and Misuse, 38 (11-13): 1759-1789.  [PMID: 14582577]
6. Kumpfer K.L. & Hansen, W. (2014). Family based prevention programs. Ch. 10 in Scheier, L. & Hansen, W., Parenting and Teen Drug Use, Oxford University Press. pp. 166-192.
7. Van Ryzin, M., Kumpfer, K.L., Fosco, G. & Greenberg, M. (Eds.) (2016). Family-based Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Large-Scale Dissemination. NY: Psychology Press. pp. 337,

PUBLICATIONS ON: Dissemination of Family EBIs:

1. Kumpfer, K.L, & Alvarado, R. (2003). Family strengthening approaches for the prevention of youth problem behaviors, American Psychologist, 58,(6/7), 457-465.  [PMID: 12971192]
2. Kumpfer, K.L. Alvarado, R., & Whiteside, H.O. (2003).  Family-based interventions for substance abuse prevention.  Substance Use and Misuse, 38 (11-13): 1759-1789.  [PMID: 14582577]
3. Kumpfer K.L. & Hansen, W. (2014). Family based prevention programs. Ch. 10 in Scheier, L. & Hansen, W., Parenting and Teen Drug Use, Oxford University Press. pp. 166-192.
4. Van Ryzin, M., Kumpfer, K.L., Fosco, G. & Greenberg, M. (Eds.) (2016). Family-based Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Large-Scale Dissemination. NY: Psychology Press. pp. 337.

PUBLICATIONS ON Enhancing Resilience in Children: 

6. Kumpfer, K.L., & Turner, C.W. (1990-1991).  The social ecology model of adolescent substance abuse: Implications for prevention.  International Journal of the Addictions, 25(4A): 435-463.  [PMID: 2093088]
7. Kumpfer, K.L & Bluth, B. (2004).  Parent/child transactional processes predictive of resilience or vulnerability to substance abuse disorders. Substance Use and Misuse, 39(5), 721-748.  [PMID: 15202804]
8. Kumpfer, K.L., & Franklin Summerhays, J. (2006). Prevention approaches to enhance resilience among high-risk youth. The Annals of the New York Academy of Science.
9. Kumpfer, K. L., & Magalhães, C. (2015). Prevention as Treatment:  Enhancing resilience in high-risk children. In Maltzman, S. (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Treatment Processes and Outcomes Counseling Psychology, NYC: Oxford Press
10. Kumpfer, K. L., Magalhaes, C. & Parra-Cardona, R. J. (in review). The role of fathers in successful child development: A summary of the empirical literature and resources for family therapists. Family Process.
11. Kumpfer, K. L. & Johnson, J. (2018). Enhancing Positive Outcomes for Children of Substance-Abusing Parents. Ch. 65 in B. Johnson (ed.), Addiction Research.

PUBLICATIONS ON: Effectiveness of Prevention Interventions for Girls and Women: 

1. Kumpfer, K.L., Smith, P. & Franklin Summerhays, J. (2008).  A wake -up call to the prevention field:  Are prevention programs for substance use effective for girls? Substance Use and Misuse, 43 (8), 978-1001.
2. Kumpfer, K.L. (2014). Family-based interventions for the prevention of substance abuse and other impulse control disorders in girls.  ISRN Addiction, Hindawi Publishing, 23 pgs.
3. Kumpfer, K.L., Magalhães, C., Campello, G., & Schwinn, T. (submitted). Effectiveness of substance abuse prevention for girls: A survey and review. Prevention Science.