Search results

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the current empirical research regarding the financial effects of participation in Individual Development Account (IDA) programs. Methods: Peer-reviewed outcome studies identified through electronic bibliographic databases and manual searches of article reference lists are reviewed. A total of 1 randomized controlled trial, 1 quasi-experimental study involving a comparison group, and 13 preexperimental 1-group pretest—posttest studies, were found. Results: Findings suggest IDA participants are capable of saving; however, total amount of savings is limited and may simply represent a reallocation of assets. Additionally, there is little evidence that the poor are enabled to achieve one of the three primary purposes of IDA programs (e.g., home ownership, postsecondary education, and microenterprise). Conclusion: It is premature to conclude that IDAs are an effective means of assisting low-income individuals in the development of assets. A stronger evidentiary foundation is needed, consisting of randomized controlled trials and cost-effectiveness and cost—benefit studies.

This study utilized data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to investigate the use of professional services and informal support among African American and Caribbean black men with a lifetime mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder. Thirty-three percent used both professional services and informal support, 14% relied on professional services only, 24% used informal support only, and 29% did not seek help. African American men were more likely than Caribbean Blacks to rely on informal support alone. Having co-occurring mental and substance disorders, experiencing an episode in the past 12 months, and having more people in the informal network increased the likelihood of using professional services and informal supports. Marital status, age, and socioeconomic status were also significantly related to help seeking. The results suggests potential unmet need. However, the reliance on informal support also suggests a strong protective role that informal networks play in the lives of Black men.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were found that compared group care with family foster care, treatment foster care, no placement, and different group care models. Most effects were small to moderate, with strongest effects for shorter lengths of stay for family-centered group care models and decreased delinquency for Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) compared to group care. Conclusion: Based on the limited number of two-group studies of varying quality, outcomes of group care are often worse than alternative interventions. However, some group care models seem more promising than others.

This article examines the cost-effectiveness of providing permanent supported housing to homeless people with mental illness. Through the use of billing records and frequency of use charts, researchers were able to map the service usage of a cohort of 268 homeless individuals from both urban and rural communities. The results suggest that significant cost savings can be achieved by establishing supportive housing programs from the homeless rather than forcing them to rely on emergency services. Data from this study can inform policy changes at both the State and Federal level. It can also provide for the introduction of common themes of money and cost-effectiveness which all of the stakeholders in the service funding debate can use. Further recommendations and uses for the data are described and discussed.

Objective: Six-month follow-up outcomes from a controlled trial of a program designed to prevent aggressive behavior in childhood are described. Method: Data were collected from three sequential cohorts of third graders in two public elementary schools (N =443). The Year 1 cohort received a routine health curriculum. The Year 2 cohort received the Making Choices program. The Year 3 cohort received the Making Choices program plus enhancements to promote behavioral generalization. Results: Six months after the end of prevention services, children in the intervention cohorts demonstrated significantly lower aggressive behavior when compared to children in the comparison cohort. The effects of the two programs were not significantly different. Conclusion: Both interventions appear to produce positive behavioral effects at follow-up.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the factor structure of the Nurturant Fathering Scale (NFS) among an African American sample in the mid-Atlantic region that have neither Caribbean heritage nor immigration experiences but who do have diverse family structures (N = 212). Method: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in order to evaluate the factor structure of the NFS. Results: A final, 8-item model, with two error covariances yielded the best fit of the NFS in the current sample. These findings suggest that, with some modification, the NFS is a very promising, short measure of perceived father nurturance that is applicable to African American youth from various family structures and who have varying amounts of interaction with their fathers while growing up.

Objectives: This study describes the development and initial validation of the 15-item Ethnic and Racial Socialization of Transracial Adoptee Scale (ERSTAS). Method: Using the model of Boykin and Tom on Black family socialization, the items were developed and validated using two different Asian adoptee samples. Results: Two subscales, ethnic socialization and racial socialization, were identified through principal axis factor (PAF) analysis. The ERSTAS and its subscales demonstrate strong internal consistency as well as discriminant validity and correlate significantly with ethnic identity measures. Although the racial socialization subscale was significantly related to self-esteem and depression, the total scale and the Ethnic Socialization subscale scores were not. Conclusions: The ERSTA is a relatively short, easy-to-use, and theoretically developed measure. The initial psychometric properties of the scale highlight its utility within the transracial adoptee group.

Objective: This meta-analytic review assesses the effectiveness of substance abuse interventions to reduce adolescent cannabis use. Method: A systematic search identified 15 randomized controlled evaluations of interventions to reduce adolescent cannabis use published between 1960 and 2008. The primary outcome variables, frequency of cannabis use, and quantity of cannabis use, were measured between 1 month and 1 year posttreatment completion. Results: Analyses of random effects models revealed similarly moderate effects for individual (g = -.437; 95% CI = [-.671, -.203]) and family-based treatments (g = -.404; 95% CI = [-.613, -.195]). Substance abuse treatments are associated with moderate reductions in cannabis use although effect sizes tended to wane with greater length of time posttreatment. Discussion: Substance abuse treatment programs should consider implementing evidence-based interventions highlighted in this meta-analysis that fit the needs and characteristics of their client base and agency setting.

The influence of culture on adolescent prosocial behavior is a neglected aspect in existing studies. Objectives: This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Cultural Influence on Helping Scale (CIHS) among Chinese adolescents. CIHS is an instrument that assesses Chinese cultural influence on helping other people. Method: The CIHS was administered to 5,812 high school students in Hong Kong. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed three factors, namely, ''Advantages of helping people,'' ''Disadvantages of helping people,'' and ''Self-centeredness,'' which support the hypothesized dimensions. The CIHS demonstrated good internal consistency. Construct validity and criterion-related validity were also supported. Conclusions: The psychometric properties of CIHS are adequate in the assessment of cultural influence on helping in Chinese adolescent samples.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to highlight the benefits of collaboration in child focused mental health services research. Method: Three unique research projects are described. These projects address the mental health needs of vulnerable, urban, minority children and their families. In each one, service delivery was codesigned, interventions were co-delivered and a team of stakeholders collaboratively tested the impact of each one. Results: The results indicate that the three interventions designed, delivered, and tested are associated with reductions in youth mental health symptoms. Conclusion: These interventions are feasible alternatives to traditional individualized outpatient treatment.

Objective: To examine the validity and reliability of a new Arabic Filial Piety scale (AFPS) for use with informal Arab caregivers. Background: Filial piety, a term used to describe a set of family values in relation to parental care. This is the first measure of this construct for use with Arab populations in Israel. Method: A random sample of 250 informal Arab caregivers field tested a new AFPS (26 items in a 5-point Likert-type format).Validity and reliability tests were applied. Results: Principal component factor analysis extracted seven factors, which accounted for 58.8% of the variance: sacrifice; obligation; respect; face-saving; repay; intergenerational exchange; and family unity. The overall scale reliability was high (.83) with strong construct validity. Conclusions: The results support the unidimensional structure of the AFPS.

Police agencies across the country are struggling to respond to significant number of persons with serious mental illness, who are landing on their doorsteps with sometimes tragic consequences. Arguably, the most widely adopted approach, the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model, is a specialized police-based program designed to improve officers' ability to safely and effectively respond to mental health crises. Conducting research on CIT is challenging; thus, the evidence base is limited. In this article, the author reviews the emerging literature, present a conceptual model of CIT effectiveness, and describe a study of CIT in Chicago. Findings from Chicago suggest that CIT is increasing linkage to services and reducing use of force in encounters with persons with mental illness. Lessons learned are discussed.