Social Development Research Group (SDRG) Research and Data

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://digital.lib.washington.edu/handle/1773/41939

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Social development measures associated with problem behaviors and weight status in Australian adolescents
(Springer, 2015-08) Williams, Joanne W.; Canterford, Louise; Toumbourou, John W.; Patton, George C.; Catalano, Richard F.
During the adolescent years, substance use, anti-social behaviours and overweight/obesity are amongst the major public health concerns. We investigate if risk and protective factors associated with adolescent problem behaviours and substance use are also associated with weight status in young Australian adolescents. Data comes from the 2006 Healthy Neighbourhoods study, a cross-sectional survey of students attending primary (grade 6, mean age 11) and secondary (grade 8, mean age 12) schools in 30 communities across Australia. Adolescents were classified as not overweight, overweight or obese according to international definitions. Logistic and linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, gender and socio-economic disadvantage quartile, were used to quantify associations between weight status (or BMI z-score) and the cumulative number of problem behaviour risk and protective factors. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 22.6 % (95 % confidence interval (CI), 21.2-24.0 %) and 7.2 % (CI, 6.3-8.3 %). Average number of risk and protective factors present was 4.0 (CI, 3.7-4.2) and 6.2 (CI, 6.1-6.3). Independently, total number of risk factors present was positively associated with likelihood of overweight and obesity, while number of protective factors present was inversely associated with the likelihood of being above a healthy weight. When both risk and protective factors were included in a regression model, only risk factors were associated with the likelihood of being overweight or obese. Average BMI z-score increased by 0.03 units with each additional risk factor present. Prevention programmes targeting developmental risk and protective factors in adolescents that reduce substance use and problem behaviours may also benefit physical health.
Peer group patterns of alcohol-using behaviors among early adolescents in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State, United States
(Wiley, 2016-12) Leung, Leung; Toumbourou, Toumbourou; Hemphill, Sheryl A.; Catalano, Richard F.
The goal of this study was to examine and cross-nationally compare the peer group patterns of alcohol-drinking behaviors among cohorts of early adolescents (ages 11-14 years) in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State, United States. Latent transition analysis revealed that after 1 year, transitions congruent with peer influence (whereby non-drinking adolescents initiated alcohol use in the presence of drinking peers) and reverse peer influence were observed in both states; however, transitions congruent with peer selection (whereby drinking adolescents self-selected into drinking peer groups) were only observed among Victorian early adolescents. Findings were interpreted to suggest that Australian family and cultural norms that more commonly allow early adolescent alcohol use lead to a higher rate of peer selection.
Using Communities That Care for Community Child Maltreatment Prevention
(APA, 2016-03) Salazar, Amy M.; Haggerty, Kevin P.; de Haan, Benjamin; Catalano, Richard F.; Vann, Terri; Vinson, Jean; Lansing, Michaele
The prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) disorders among children and adolescents is a national priority. One mode of implementing community-wide MEB prevention efforts is through evidence-based community mobilization approaches such as Communities That Care (CTC). This article provides an overview of the CTC framework and discusses the adaptation process of CTC to prevent development of MEBs through preventing child abuse and neglect and bolstering child well-being in children aged 0 to 10. Adaptations include those to the intervention itself as well as those to the evaluation approach. Preliminary findings from the Keeping Families Together pilot study of this evolving approach suggest that the implementation was manageable for sites, and community board functioning and community adoption of a science-based approach to prevention in pilot sites looks promising. Implications and next steps are outlined.
Psychometric properties of the Transitions From Foster Care Key Leader Survey
(Elsevier, 2016-04) Salazar, Amy M.; Brown, Eric C.; Monahan, Kathryn C.; Catalano, Richard F.
This study summarizes the development and piloting of the Transitions from Foster Care Key Leader Survey (TFC-KLS), an instrument designed to measure change in systems serving young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunity Initiative's logic model was used as a basis for instrument development. The instrument was piloted with 119 key leaders in six communities. Seven of eight latent scales performed well in psychometric testing. The relationships among the 24 measures of system change were explored. A CFA testing overall model fit was satisfactory following slight modifications. Finally, a test of inter-rater reliability between two raters did not find reliable reporting of service availability in a supplemental portion of the survey. The findings were generally positive and supported the validity and utility of the instrument for measuring system change, following some adaptations. Implications for the field are discussed.
A randomized controlled trial of a long-term professional mentoring program for children at risk: Outcomes across the first 5 years
(Springer, 2017-11) Eddy, J. Mark; Martinez, Charles R., Jr.; Grossman, Jean Baldwin; Cearley, Jennifer J.; Wheeler, Alice C.; Rempel, Jeff S.; Foney, Dana; Burraston, Bert O.; Harachi, Tracy W.; Haggerty, Kevin P.; Seeley, John R.
Child outcomes due to a paid professional mentoring program, Friends of the Children (FOTC), were investigated across the first 5 years of an ongoing multi-site randomized controlled trial. Participants were 278 children attending kindergarten or first grade who were identified as "at risk" for adjustment problems during adolescence. The program was delivered through established nonprofit community-based organizations. Mentors were hired to work full time and were provided training, supervision, and support to work individually with small numbers of children. Recruitment took place across a 3-year period. Random assignment to the intervention condition or a services as usual control condition was conducted at the level of the individual, blocking on school and child sex. After the initial assessment, follow-up assessments were conducted every 6 months. Differences in growth curves across the elementary school years were examined in intent-to-treat analyses. Significant effects favoring FOTC were found in terms of caregiver ratings of positive school behavior and less trouble in school, with a trend for higher child behavioral and emotional strengths. Effect sizes were in the range typical in recent trials of youth mentoring.
Evidence-based prevention for adolescent substance use
(Elsevier, 2016-07) Harrop, Erin; Catalano, Richard F.
Due to the significant consequences of adolescent substance use behaviors, researchers have increasingly focused on prevention approaches. The field of prevention science is based on the identification of predictors of problem behaviors, and the development and testing of prevention programs that seek to change these predictors. As the field of prevention science moves forward, there are many opportunities for growth, including the integration of prevention programs into service systems and primary care, an expansion of program adaptations to fit the needs of local populations, and a greater emphasis on the development of programs targeted at young adult populations.
Translating grand challenges from concept to community: The “Communities in Action” experience
(Society for Social Work and Research, 2017-02) Haggerty, Kevin P.; Barton, Vaughnetta J.; Catalano, Richard F.; Spearmon, Margaret L.; Margaret L., Edith C.; Reese, Raymonda C.; Uehara, Edwina S.
This article provides an example of how one social work school created a community partnership to translate grand challenges from concept to concrete local projects to meet Grand Challenges for Social Work goals. The Grand Challenge to Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth proposes that we have made sufficient scientific advances towithin a decadereduce the incidence and prevalence of behavioral health problems among children, adolescents, and young adults by 20%, and to reduce the incidence of racial and socioeconomic disparities in behavioral health problems by 20%. In 2014, faculty and students from the University of Washington School of Social Work began working with a broad coalition of community-based agencies, governmental partners, and funding agencies to tackle this grand challenge at the community level. The coalition adopted Communities That Care, a tested model for developing prevention infrastructure in communities by building the capacity of community coalitions to assess and prioritize local need, match need to evidence-based prevention programs, and support quality implementation with sufficient reach to change behavioral health problems at the community level. The collaboration chose the name Communities in Action for this effort. This article illustrates how Communities in Action exemplifies grand challenges implementation and highlights lessons learned that can be applied to other grand challenges efforts.
Literature Review of Relative and Non-Relative Foster/Adoptive Parent Factors Related to Placement Stability and Permanence for Children and Youth
(National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents, 2018) Salazar, Amy M.; Vanderwill, Lori A.; De Larwelle, Jessica A.; Jenkins, Garrett J.; McMahon, Amanda K.; Day, Angelique; Haggerty, Kevin P.
The Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Children’s Bureau funded the development of a national training initiative to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children exposed to trauma and to provide these families with ongoing skill development needed to understand and promote healthy child development. At the end of the grant period, states, counties, tribes, territories, and private agencies will have access to a free, comprehensive curriculum that has been thoroughly evaluated, which can be used to prepare, train, and develop foster and adoptive parents. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents (NTDC) will be designed for families who are fostering and/or adopting children through the public child welfare system as well as those adopting through an intercountry or private domestic process. To inform the development of this national training initiative, a needs assessment was conducted. This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics relative and non-relative foster/adoptive parents need to embody in order to be successful as well as suggested training themes (proficiencies) for these parents. The review resulted in the identification of 10 specific characteristics and 11 proficiencies that relative and non-relative foster or adoptive parents need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles. The findings are broken into two groups: (a) caregiver characteristics, and (b) caregiver proficiencies (malleable, trainable factors). Characteristics are inherent qualities or personal attributes that are critical to successful resource parenting. These are traits that are difficult to teach and tend to be inherent or achieved through life experience. Proficiencies describe knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important to the role of a resource parent.
Literature & Resource Review: Characteristics of Successful Foster, Adoptive and/or Kinship Caregivers of American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nations and Native Hawaiian (AIAN/FN/NH) Children and Suggested Training Themes for these Parents
(University of Washington School of Social Work in partnership with Spaulding for Children; Child Trauma Academy; The Center for Adoption Support and Education; North American Council on Adoptable Children; National Council for Adoption; and Northeastern State University, 2018) Day, Angelique; Haggerty, Kevin P.; Murphy, Kerrie; Wilson, Morgan; Drywater Whitekiller, Virginia
The Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Children’s Bureau funded the development of a national training initiative to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children exposed to trauma and to provide these families with ongoing skill development needed to understand and promote healthy child development. At the end of the grant period, states, counties, tribes, territories, and private agencies will have access to a free, comprehensive curriculum that has been thoroughly evaluated, which can be used to prepare, train, and develop foster and adoptive parents. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents (NTDC) will be designed for families who are fostering and/or adopting children through the public child welfare system as well as those adopting through an intercountry or private domestic process. This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics of a successful foster, adoptive and/or kinship caregivers of AIAN/FN/NH youth as well as suggested training themes for these parents. This search resulted in the identification of 18 specific characteristics and 13 suggested training themes that Native American parents who want to foster/adopt, need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles. The characteristics and suggested training themes, and their associated reference material, are outlined in this report.
Literature Review: Intercountry Adoption and Private Domestic Adoption. National Training & Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents
(University of Washington School of Social Work in partnership with Spaulding for Children; Child Trauma Academy; The Center for Adoption Support and Education; North American Council on Adoptable Children; and National Council for Adoption, 2018) Day, L. Edward; Haggerty, Kevin; Wills, Tamarie; Crume, Joel; Wilson, Morgan
The Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Children’s Bureau funded the development of a national training initiative to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children exposed to trauma and to provide these families with ongoing skill development needed to understand and promote healthy child development. At the end of the grant period, states, counties, tribes, territories, and private agencies will have access to a free, comprehensive curriculum that has been thoroughly evaluated, which can be used to prepare, train, and develop foster and adoptive parents. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents (NTDC) will be designed for families who are fostering and/or adopting children through the public child welfare system as well as those adopting through an intercountry or private domestic process. This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics parents who adopt via the intercountry or private domestic process need to embody in order to be successful as well as suggested training themes for these parents. The review resulted in the identification of 10 specific characteristics and 9 training recommendations that parents who want to adopt privately, either domestically or intercountry, need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles.
2019 Workforce Needs Assessment results
(2019-04) Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center
In 2018, the Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Northwest PTTC) was created to develop and disseminate prevention tools and strategies needed to reduce substance misuse. To determine the greatest training needs of the prevention workforce in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, the Northwest PTTC developed and administered an online workforce needs assessment. From the 2019 Workforce Needs Assessment the Northwest PTTC identified ten key skill competencies for future training topics.

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