Search

There are growing rates of U.S. college students studying abroad and existing literature reveals that college students experience moderate to high rates of certain types of crime; however, little is known about the victimization rates of college students while studying abroad. This is the first study known to use anonymous self-report data that examines the rates of various forms of victimization experienced while studying abroad. Findings from a sample of more than 1,000 undergraduate students studying on six continents revealed that victimization rates are low, with the exception of sexual harassment, unwanted touching, and theft. In addition, findings suggest that self-reported victimization rates vary depending upon the severity of the crime, respondents' sex, and continent of study. These findings suggest the need for further research and additional programming; suggestions are put forth.

Psychological maltreatment (PM) is a widespread form of child maltreatment, both in high-risk and maltreating parents, yet there are no intervention programs that target it directly. In this study, the content of parenting programs for high-risk and maltreating parents was assessed to determine whether the program manuals include content on PM. Nine evidence-based group parenting programs for high-risk or maltreating parents (e.g., included in the SAMHSA or a comparable model program registry) were identified. Program manuals were rated for whether they included content on 18 types of psychological maltreatment (PM). Only one type of PM was rated as being included in all nine programs. Not one of the remaining PM types was rated as being included in more than four programs; and many of the PM types were not rated as being included in any program manual. Therefore, existing parenting program manuals do not contain content related to many forms of psychological maltreatment. (Contains 5 tables.)

Objective: Psychological maltreatment (PM) is a widespread form of child maltreatment both in high-risk and maltreating families as well as in the general population of parents, yet there are no intervention programs that target it directly. The current study was designed as the first step in a larger program of research concerning educating parents about PM. In this study we evaluated the content of universal parenting programs to assess whether they include content on PM. Three questions were addressed: (1) Which types, if any, of PM were included in the content of these programs? (2) Which programs, if any, have content about each of the types of PM? (3) What are the implications for the development of PM curricula for parents? Method: Ten evidence-based, manualized, universal parenting programs identified from SAMHSA or a comparable model program registry were rated on how well their content covered 18 types of psychological maltreatment (PM), as defined by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, APSAC ( [0035] and [0160] ). Each type of PM was coded along several dimensions which resulted in two summary scores: (1) Does the program contain content designed to teach parents what not to do in regards to the 18 psychologically maltreating behaviors and (2) Does the program contain content designed to teach parents what to do instead? Results: Content related to most PM types were not included in the curricula, especially regarding "what not to do" and not one program was rated as having content related to teaching all 18 types of PM. Conclusions: Existing parenting programs do not currently cover content for teaching community parents about psychological maltreatment. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Caring for Quality and Partners in Family Child Care are home visiting programs designed to improve the quality of home-based child care. This article describes the experiences of two different home visitors to demonstrate how programs such as these can help providers improve the overall quality of care, increase children's development, and lead to trusting relationships between providers and home visitors. Home visiting was less successful at promoting long-term changes in health and safety practices. The authors discuss the challenges that arose in assessing and supporting social-emotional development in young children, and how providers' "readiness to change" relates to home visiting outcomes.

This study examines the processes by which early childhood educators and their mentors negotiated the social and emotional aspects of their working relationships. Twenty-five mentors worked with over 200 infant/toddler caregivers and preschool educators as part of a community-wide professional development initiative. Qualitative data were obtained through surveys, interviews, and focus groups and analyzed using grounded theory. Findings suggested that mentors and mentees recognized the emotional nature of their relationship and explicitly negotiated their roles and boundaries within the relationship. Mentors recognized differences in educators' readiness to change, and this impacted how they negotiated their relationships with mentees. Finally, mentors continually reflected on their own interpersonal skills through interaction with their supervisors and other mentors. Implications for early educator mentoring programs are discussed.

Children with autism are frequently observed to experience difficulties in sensory processing. This study examined specific patterns of sensory processing in 54 children with autistic disorder and their association with adaptive behavior. Model-based cluster analysis revealed three distinct sensory processing subtypes in autism. These subtypes were differentiated by taste and smell sensitivity and movement-related sensory behavior. Further, sensory processing subtypes predicted communication competence and maladaptive behavior. The findings of this study lay the foundation for the generation of more specific hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of sensory processing dysfunction in autism, and support the continued use of sensory-based interventions in the remediation of communication and behavioral difficulties in autism.

Fifty-three adolescent girls residing in community-based group-living child welfare programs were administered a standardized measure (SASS-2) in order to assess probability of a substance use/dependency disorder in this highly vulnerable population. Findings revealed that one third of the sample, and one half of the nonpregnant/parenting girls, met the diagnostic criteria for a substance use/dependency disorder. Probability of such a disorder was associated with aspects of the group living milieu including access to peers who also use drugs and lack of perceived pressure from staff to abstain from using drugs and alcohol. Results support the need for broad-based screening of group home youth, intensive interventions to address existing substance use problems, and staff training in prevention and identification of youth who use substances. Findings also suggest that pregnancy and parenthood represent a window of opportunity for changing the trajectory of substance use in adolescent teens in the child welfare system. (Contains 1 table.)

Sensory processing (SP) difficulties have been reported in as many as 95% of children with autism, however, empirical research examining the existence of specific patterns of SP difficulties within this population is scarce. Furthermore, little attention has been given to examining the relationship between SP and either the core symptoms or secondary manifestations of autism. In the current study, SP patterns in children with autistic disorder (AD) were investigated via a caregiver questionnaire and findings were correlated with the social, emotional and behavioural responsiveness of participants. Results indicated the presence of specific SP patterns in this sample of children with AD and several significant relationships were found between SP and social, emotional and behavioural function.

This study assessed the utility of the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI) in a child welfare sample. In this study, 97 children from ages 10 to 12 from either foster boarding homes or a residential treatment center participated. Researchers interviewed foster parents or primary therapists about children's sexual behavior, traumatic events, clinical symptoms, and their attitudes toward the child. Findings revealed that problematic sexualized behaviors were more prevalent in the residential treatment center (RTC) sample than they were in a normative sample. The pattern of associations between sexual behavior problems, traumatic events, and clinical syndromes in both the RTC and the foster boarding home (FBH) samples was similar to what has been found in samples in which biological custodial parents were the respondents. Analyses comparing youth who met the criterion for having problematic sexualized behaviors and youth who did not meet the criterion revealed that the two groups differed on clinical symptoms, prior traumatic events, and negative reports by caregivers. Results confirm the utility of the CSBI measure for this population and highlight several important clinical and programmatic concerns for addressing problematic sexual behavior in children in the child welfare system. (Contains 4 tables and 3 footnotes.)

Thirty-seven of 43 (86%) agencies operating child welfare residential treatment centers in New York State responded to a survey about the provision of mental health services. Questions were asked about provision of services, satisfaction with services, and suggestions for improvement in five domains: therapeutic milieu, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and psychiatric services. Results revealed that due to funding constraints most agencies reported hiring direct care staff with limited formal education to work with children who present with increasing intensity and severity of emotional and behavioral problems, which in part led to high turnover rates and moderate levels of satisfaction with services. Taken together, the data highlight the demands on the system as more severely troubled youth are being served with fewer dollars provided for their care. The findings suggest many avenues for advocacy, clinical intervention, staff development, and further research. (Contains 6 tables.)

AWOL behavior of adolescents residing in residential treatment is an issue requiring examination, especially in light of the variety of dangers these adolescents may be exposed to while away from treatment. This study assessed AWOL behavior of three consecutive entry cohorts (n = 234) of adolescents at a large long-term RTC in New York State. AWOL was defined as both (a) running away from the campus and (b) not returning from a home visit. In both cases youth were away from the program without permission. Results indicated that the majority of residents went AWOL at least one time and were equally likely to do so any time within the first 2 years of treatment. Having a history of substance abuse was associated with an increased risk of going AWOL. Areas for future research include replication of the study to help generalize findings and assessment of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent AWOL behavior. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study addresses three questions about the population of children and families served in the highest level of care in the child welfare system in New York State residential treatment centers (RTCs): (1) How prevalent are emotional and behavioral problems in the youth entering RTCs? (2) Has the proportion of youth with such problems increased compared to 10 years ago? (3) Are there identifiable subgroups of youth entering RTCs? One-fourth of RTC admissions in fiscal year 2001 were randomly selected from a representative sample of 16 RTCs. The study completed a standardized data collection instrument based on a review of agency records, and included information that was known at the time each child was admitted. The results show significant increases compared to 10 years earlier in the proportion of youth with mental health problems and juvenile justice backgrounds. The findings suggest that youth who traditionally have been served by other systems of care are now being served in the child welfare system. The increased treatment needs of these youth and the heterogeneity of the RTC population have important implications for policies, programs, and practice. (Contains 3 tables and 3 footnotes.)

This is the first multisite, prospective study of behavioral and mental health disorders of youth in residential treatment centers (RTC) and therapeutic foster care (TFC), and the first study to compare the two. This study addressed two questions in a sample of 22 agencies in 13 states: (1) how prevalent were emotional and behavioral disorders in the youth admitted to RTCs and TFC?, and (2) were the youth in RTCs significantly more likely to be disturbed than youth served in TFCs? Data were drawn from the Time 1 phase of the longitudinal national "Odyssey Project" developed by the Child Welfare League of America (1995). Measures included an extensive child and family characteristics form (CFC) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The results revealed extremely high levels of behavioral and mental health disorders in the sample as a whole, well above the norms for a non-child welfare population. The prevalence of disorder in the RTC population was substantially greater than in the TFC population. (Contains 3 tables and 4 footnotes.)

This study aimed to determine what youth characteristics were associated with emotional and behavioral problems exhibited within the first three months of placement in residential treatment centers (RTCs) in a sample of youth from 20 agencies in 13 states. Two primary research questions were addressed: 1) What characteristics were associated with behavior during the transition to care? 2) Were the characteristics associated with behavior during the transition the same for boys and girls? Data were drawn from the Time 1 phase of the longitudinal national Odyssey Project dataset developed by the Child Welfare League of America. Measures included an extensive child and family characteristics (CFC) form and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The results revealed significant gender-specific patterns of associations between youth characteristics and behavior exhibited during the transition to RTC placement. Notably, a sexual abuse history was associated with Externalizing for girls and Internalizing for boys and entering on psychotropic medication was associated with Internalizing for girls and boys and Externalizing for boys only. Results suggest many avenues for refining practice. (Contains 5 tables and 1 footnote.)

This multi-site examination of sexual abuse histories of youth in residential treatment centers asked, for the sample as a whole and by youth's gender: (a) How many perpetrators did each youth have? (b) What was the gender of the perpetrator? (c) What proportion of youth was abused by family members? (d) What proportion of youth was abused in a child welfare setting? And, (e) what proportion of sexually abused youth were also victims of physical abuse and/or neglect? Results revealed that males were more likely to have one perpetrator, a female perpetrator, and to have been abused in a child welfare setting and less likely be abused by a family member. Implications for refining programs and practices are discussed. (Contains 7 tables.)

This study explores variables associated with length of stay in a child welfare residential treatment center. The study followed three entry cohorts (416 boys) from admission through discharge. The researchers conducted event history analyses to examine the rates of discharge over time and the covariates of length of stay. They conducted analyses by discharge destination (reunified, transferred, or ran away). The results demonstrated that mental health issues slowed down rates of discharge for youth who were reunified or transferred. For children who left by running away, age and prior substance history were associated with faster rates of exit. These results have important public policy implications for improving the application of length of stay variables in planning and treatment.

This study explored how the histories of young people entering residential treatment in New York State varied depending upon the age and gender of the residents. Specifically, we asked whether children who were admitted to residential treatment centers (RTCs) under 12 years of age had a different set of characteristics than young persons who were 12 years and older when admitted (and whether boys had different characteristics than girls). Three sets of characteristics were examined: history of maltreatment, history of behavioral problems, and history of mental health problems. One-fourth of the admissions in FY 2001 was randomly selected from a sample of 16 RTCs. A review of agency records provided the information to complete the standardized data collection instrument. The results revealed statistically significant patterns of associations by age and gender. As populations shift within agencies and across time, knowledge of the characteristics associated with various age and gender groups can be used to facilitate agency planning and training of staff members. (Contains 1 note and 3 tables.)

The current study explores discharge destinations, length of stay, and reasons for return to residential treatment for youth transferred from a residential treatment center (RTC) to a group home. Four entry cohorts (60 boys) were followed from admission through discharge. Results demonstrated that over half of the young persons went to a lower level of care from the group home, indicating that the group home functioned as an intermediate level in the continuum of care. Specifically, 20 young persons went to a family, relative or foster home and 16 went to a supervised independent living program or were discharged to self. A subset of the subjects returned to the RTC after exhibiting emotional and behavior problems. Taken together, these results have important public policy implications for understanding and enhancing the role of group homes in the continuum of care. (Contains 6 tables and 2 notes.)

This collaborative study examined barriers to parent involvement in the Head Start program among 68 mothers in New York City. Results revealed the presence of many difficult life experiences for mothers, but few were reported as barriers by many mothers. Five out of 20 experiences were associated with staff ratings of mothers' participation level. (Author/KB)

Although parents and teachers want to improve parental involvement, they share no vision of how to accomplish this goal. This article reviews common parent/teacher misunderstandings and recommends that schools address teachers' time commitment, logistical and organizational barriers, inservice training deficiencies, and short-sighted implementation procedures. (MLH)

Surveyed 200 superintendents in 15 U.S. states about parent involvement policies and programs. Found that the most commonly reported policies were to communicate with parents about their child's progress and school programs and to provide parents with opportunities to be decision makers. Districts with greater percentages of at-risk students were more likely to report adopting parent involvement activities. (Author/KB)

Describes the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), a two-year home-based early-education intervention program designed to help parents with limited formal education prepare their children for school. Presents findings from a two-site HIPPY study, a one-site case study, and a three-site qualitative study. (SLD)

First-grade and kindergarten teachers rated parents' involvement in their children's education. A significant portion of teachers reported limited knowledge of parents' involvement in their children's education. Findings were consistent with reports of a lack of opportunity for meaningful communication between parents and teachers, and indicate directions for future research and for improving school/home partnerships. (Author/SD)

Evaluated whether participation in HIPPY (Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters) has a positive impact on young children's performance in school. Assessed 182 children at baseline, the program's end, and one year later. Interpreted findings as mixed support for the effectiveness of the HIPPY program. (JS)

Summarizes 87 teachers' comments about parent involvement in a focus-group study. Participants shared their positive and negative experiences working with parents. Schools can help by creating time and support for teachers' efforts, providing ongoing professional support and training for creating effective home-school partnerships, revamping obstructive school policies, and creating more opportunities for teacher-parent communication. (10 references) (MLH)

A focus-group study recently surveyed 111 parents concerning the type, frequency, and reason for their involvement in their children's education and major barriers and facilitators to such involvement. To improve parent participation, educators must clarify how and why parents can be involved, build on parent involvement at school programs, create more opportunities for parental input, and give parents more timely feedback. (15 references) (MLH)

Argues that successful provider-led training occurs when caregivers decide the type of assistance needed, the time and setting for learning, and when agency assistance is useful. Describes the facilitator approach utilized by the Satellites of Greater Rochester, which helps low-income neighborhoods receive technical assistance, training, and support. (SD)

Describes an interaction between a family day care provider and the children in her care. (BB)