The Effectiveness of a Brief Mindfulness-Based Intervention for College Freshmen Who Have Aged out of Foster Care

This study investigated the effects of a brief meditation intervention on perceived stress, mindfulness, and sleep quality for college freshmen who have aged out of foster care. Thirty-six youth who had aged out of foster care and enrolled at a large midwestern 4-year university (n?=?16 experimental group, n?=?20 control group) participated in a study in which they were assessed three times on the dependent variables. Students also participated in a focus group after the intervention ended. Four sessions of the brief mindfulness intervention resulted in significant short-term reductions in stress levels and increases in sleep quality. Finding effective personal interventions to increase chances for college success for students with histories in foster care can also offer potential insight toward the development of educational models and resources for other vulnerable college student populations.     

Book reviews of The African American Education Data Book volume I / The African American Education Data Book volume II / The African American Data Book volume III

Children in foster care represent one of the most vulnerable, academically at risk populations in the United States. Aside from lower standardized achievement test scores, higher grade retention numbers, and a greater dropout rate than non-foster youth, between 30% to 50% of children in foster care are placed in special education programs, generally related to either a learning disability or an emotional disturbance. This study investigated the effectiveness on school performance of an education liaison from the school system who worked with social workers to resolve educational barriers to learning and achieving. Advocacy by the education liaison led to positive results in terms of school performance of foster youth. Recommendations are made for better addressing the educational needs of children in foster care.     

Parenting intervention effects on reunification: A randomized trial of PMTO in foster care

Evidence-supported parenting interventions (ESPIs) have expanded into child welfare because a growing research base has demonstrated positive results among children with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Despite a clear federal policy emphasis on reunification, few randomized trials have tested ESPIs with biological families of children in foster care; even fewer studies have investigated the distal outcomes of ESPIs. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model on reunification. Children in foster care with emotional and behavioral problems were randomized to in-home PMTO (n = 461) or services as usual (SAU) (n = 457). Cox regression models tested whether children in the PMTO group achieved higher rates of reunification. We applied life tables data for integrals calculations to estimate days saved in foster care. Analyses were conducted as intent-to-treat (ITT), and per protocol analysis (PPA). ITT results showed reunification rates were 6.9% higher for the PMTO group (62.7%) than the SAU group (55.8%) with 151 days saved per typical child. PPA indicated that intervention completion strengthened effects as PMTO completers’ reunification rates (69.5%) were 13.7% higher than the SAU group (55.8%), and were 15.3% higher than non-completers (54.2%). Days saved were also greater for completers as compared to the SAU group (299 days) and non-completers (358 days). Overall, findings suggest that an in-home parenting intervention positively affected reunification as delivered to biological parents of children and youth in foster care with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Implications and future considerations for research are discussed.     

An intervention to improve sibling relationship quality among youth in foster care: Results of a randomized clinical trial

Sibling programming is an important part of a prevention framework, particularly for youth in foster care. After children are removed from their families and placed into foster care in the aftermath of maltreatment, the sibling relationship is often the most viable ongoing relationship available to the child, and may be critical to a youth’s sense of connection, emotional support, and continuity. The promise of dyadic sibling programming in particular rests on the ability of interventions to enhance the quality of sibling relationships; yet little research exists that suggests that sibling interventions can improve relationship quality among foster youth. The primary aim of the current study was to examine the effects of a specific dyadic sibling-focused intervention for older and younger siblings on sibling relationship quality. One hundred sixty four dyads (328 youth) participated in the study, with each dyad consisting of an older sibling between 11 and 15 years of age at baseline and a younger sibling separated in age by less than 4 years. Hierarchical linear models were applied to self-reported, observer-reported and observational data over the 18-month study period. Findings suggest that the sibling intervention holds promise for improving sibling relationship quality among youth in foster care. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.     

Immediate Effects of a School Readiness Intervention for Children in Foster Care

Research Findings: School readiness is a strong predictor of adjustment in elementary school and beyond. Children in foster care are at particular risk for academic and social difficulties in school. Limitations in self-regulatory skills and caregiver involvement among these children might contribute to a lack of school readiness. This study presents the immediate effects on school readiness of a targeted, short-term intervention designed to improve children's early literacy, prosocial, and self-regulatory skills during the summer before kindergarten entry: Kids in Transition to School. Using a randomized controlled trial design, we assigned 192 children in foster care to either an intervention or services as usual comparison condition. Multimethod, multi-informant assessments were conducted immediately prior to and following the completion of the intervention. The results from structural equation modeling indicated that the intervention had significant positive effects on early literacy and self-regulatory skills. Practice or Policy: An efficacious, short-term, readily scalable, theoretically based intervention targeted at specific vulnerabilities for children in foster care may help to improve the school readiness and eventual school adjustment of these children.     

Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Tier 2 Reading Instruction for First-Grade Students With a High Probability of Reading Failure

Abstract

This research investigated the immediate and long-term effects of a Tier 2 intervention for beginning readers identified as having a high probability of reading failure using a randomized control trial. First-grade participants (n = 123) were randomly assigned either to a 25-session intervention targeting key reading components, including decoding, spelling, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension, or to a no-treatment control condition. Analyses of immediate posttests (end of first grade) indicated significant differences in measures of Decodable Word Fluency (effect size = .40) favoring the intervention group. Within the intervention group, tutor ratings of attention were significantly related to growth in Passage Reading Fluency and Spelling Fluency. Longitudinal assessments (end of second grade) indicated no significant differences by group. Analysis of responder status indicated that students defined as responders maintained gains to the end of second grade.     

Care or scare: the safety of youth in congregate care in New York City

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study examined stakeholders' perceptions of the safety of youth ages 12 and older living in congregate care facilities within the New York City foster care system. The study explored the youth's physical safety, the safety of their personal belongings, the physical conditions of congregate care settings, and the relationship between staff quality and youth safety. METHOD: The study involved interviews with family court judges, representatives of private child welfare agencies, attorneys who represent children in foster care, social workers, representatives of advocacy and other relevant organizations in New York City, and former foster youth who had been placed in congregate care settings. RESULTS: Safety in congregate care environments was an issue of significant concern. Threats to the youth's safety were found to emanate from peer-on-peer violence, stealing of personal belongings, inappropriate staff conduct, and the poor physical conditions of facilities. Youth's sense of safety was strongly linked to staff quality, including staff ability to relate effectively to youth and to maintain control of congregate care environments. CONCLUSIONS: Existing regulations in New York State appear to have had little effect in ensuring the safety of youth in many group and residential care facilities. Steps to improve safety outcomes for youth in these settings are proposed.     

Engaging foster parents in treatment: A randomized trial of supplementing Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with evidence-based engagement strategies

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of supplementing Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen et al., 2006) with evidence-based engagement strategies on foster parent and foster youth engagement in treatment, given challenges engaging foster parents in treatment. A randomized controlled trial of TF-CBT standard delivery compared to TF-CBT plus evidence-based engagement strategies was conducted with 47 children and adolescents in foster care and one of their foster parents. Attendance, engagement, and clinical outcomes were assessed 1 month into treatment, end of treatment, and 3 months post-treatment. Youth and foster parents who received TF-CBT plus evidence-based engagement strategies were more likely to be retained in treatment through four sessions and were less likely to drop out of treatment prematurely. The engagement strategies did not appear to have an effect on the number of canceled or no-show sessions or on treatment satisfaction. Clinical outcomes did not differ by study condition, but exploratory analyses suggest that youth had significant improvements with treatment. Strategies that specifically target engagement may hold promise for increasing access to evidence-based treatments and for increasing likelihood of treatment completion.     

An ecological approach to promoting early adolescent mental health and social adaptation: family-centered intervention in public middle schools

This study examined the impact of the Family Check-Up (FCU) and linked intervention services on reducing health-risk behaviors and promoting social adaptation among middle school youth. A total of 593 students and their families were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention or middle school services as usual. Forty-two percent of intervention families engaged in the service and received the FCU. Using complier average causal effect analyses, engagement in the intervention moderated intervention outcomes. Families who engaged in the intervention had youth who reported lower rates of antisocial behavior and substance use over time than did a matched control sample. Results extend previous research indicating that a family-centered approach to supporting youth in the public school setting reduced the growth of antisocial behavior, alcohol use, tobacco use, and marijuana use throughout the middle school years.     

Building Validity Evidence for Scores on a State-Wide Alternate Assessment: A Contrasting Groups, Multimethod Approach

The relationships between ratings on the Idaho Alternate Assessment (IAA) for 116 students with significant disabilities and corresponding ratings for the same students on two norm-referenced teacher rating scales were examined to gain evidence about the validity of resulting IAA scores. To contextualize these findings, another group of 54 students who had disabilities, but were not officially eligible for the alternate assessment also was assessed. Evidence to support the validity of the inferences about IAA scores was mixed, yet promising. Specifically, the relationship among the reading, language arts, and mathematics achievement level ratings on the IAA and the concurrent scores on the ACES-Academic Skills scales for the eligible students varied across grade clusters, but in general were moderate. These findings provided evidence that IAA scales measure skills indicative of the state's content standards. This point was further reinforced by moderate to high correlations between the IAA and Idaho State Achievement Test (ISAT) for the not eligible students. Additional evidence concerning the valid use of the IAA was provided by logistic regression results that the scores do an excellent job of differentiating students who were eligible from those not eligible to participate in an alternate assessment. The collective evidence for the validity of the IAA scores suggests it is a promising assessment for NCLB accountability of students with significant disabilities. The methods of establishing this evidence have the potential to advance validation efforts of other states' alternate assessments.     

The impact of changing neighborhoods,switching schools,and experiencing relationship disruption on children’s adjustment to a new placement in foster care

When children enter a new foster care placement they may experience several different transitions. Not only will a child move in with a new family, he or she may move to a different neighborhood, change schools, lose contact with old friends, be placed apart from one or more siblings, and have limited contact with his or her biological parents. The current study examined the impact of these transitions on foster children’s adjustment to a new placement in out-of-home care. The sample consisted of 152 youth ages 6–17.5 who participated in the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) study and who were residing with relative or non-relative foster families at the time of the Wave I interview. During the Wave I interview, youth were asked to report on the types of transitions they experienced when they moved into their current placement. Linear and Poisson regressions were used to estimate the effect of the transitions on youths’ relationships with their new families, mental health, relationships with peers at school, and school engagement. The results showed that youth whose biological mothers contacted them more than once a month had more symptoms of mental health problems than youth who had less contact with their biological mothers. In contrast, changing schools had a positive impact on youths’ mental health, and youth who were separated from siblings were more likely to get along well with their school peers. Implications for improving youth’s adjustment to new foster care placements are discussed.     

Risk behaviors in maltreated youth placed in foster care: a longitudinal study of protective and vulnerability factors

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have examined the impact of placement in foster care prospectively to determine what early responses might predict later functioning. The current study examined protective and vulnerability factors in a longitudinal study of youth placed in foster care. METHODOLOGY: A cohort of 214 ethnically-diverse youth, ages 7-12, who entered foster care between May 1990 and October 1991 were recruited for the Time 1 study if they remained in foster care for at least 5 months. For the Time 1 study, youth and their caregivers were interviewed and assessed approximately 6 months following their initial placement. Six years later, as adolescents, the youth were re-interviewed regarding their involvement in four domains of risk behavior. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses indicated that several Time 1 control variables (e.g., age, ethnicity, type of maltreatment, behavior problems) and Time 1 psychosocial predictor variables (i.e., dimensions of social support and self-perception) were related to the Time 2 risk behavior outcomes. Regression analyses with all variables accounted for between 33 and 46% of the variance, with the psychosocial predictor variables, as a group, significant over and above the control variables. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that there are some modifiable protective and vulnerability factors present shortly after maltreated youth are placed in foster care that predict their engagement in adolescent risk behaviors 6 years later.     

The grip of trauma: How trauma disrupts the academic aspirations of foster youth

The academic challenges foster youth encounter during their P-12 education have been widely reported. Yet, despite these challenges, the majority of foster youth desire postsecondary education. What is less known is the reason why so few foster youth alumni who desire a four-year college degree, achieve this goal. For the participants in this four-year longitudinal study, maltreatment, resulting in foster care placement, and the ensuing exposure to the foster care system, resulted in trauma histories and mental health diagnoses. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were the most common diagnosis. The participants shared the ways in which these mental health challenges manifested throughout their college education. Of those in the study, almost half successfully graduated from college, a third dropped out, and only two remain enrolled. This study provides a unique and critical insight into the experiences of foster youth, enrolled in a four-year university, by sharing their stories     

A small-scale randomized efficacy trial of Carescapes: Enhancing children’s social development in child care homes

The quality of the child care environment and caregiver practices can potentially have significant, lasting impact on children’s social development. This study involves the development and a small-scale efficacy trial of the Carescapes program, a video-based training program that focuses on promoting positive social development in young children attending family child care. Fifty-seven caregivers who provided child care in their homes were randomly assigned to immediate intervention or waitlist control groups. Random coefficients analyses showed significant increased use of effective behavior management practices and decreased overall children’s problem behavior for the intervention group. A mediation model demonstrated that increases in effective behavior management practices were associated with decreases in problem behavior. A medium intervention effect was found for caregiver’s monitoring and a small effect for use of positive attention. These effects declined 5 months following the intervention. Implications for future efficacy and effectiveness studies in family child care settings that involve strategies to facilitate maintenance are discussed.     

Temperamental sensitivity to early maltreatment and later family cohesion for externalizing behaviors in youth adopted from foster care

Children in foster care frequently have histories of physical/sexual abuse and neglect, increasing their risk for externalizing behaviors (EB; e.g., aggression). According to the differential susceptibility theory, children with reactive temperaments (e.g., negative emotionality) may be particularly vulnerable to early maltreatment, but may also benefit the most from environmental enrichment such as family cohesion. In a high-risk longitudinal sample of 82 children adopted from foster care in Los Angeles County from 1996 and 2001, we examined predictions of EB from childhood to adolescence/young adulthood from temperament, preadoption maltreatment, and adoptive family cohesion. Overall, results from generalized linear models and generalized estimating equations (GEE) did not support differential susceptibility theory – specifically, youth with early reactive temperament did not exhibit heightened sensitivity to maltreatment nor to later adoptive family cohesion. Instead, reactive temperament was associated with higher EB at initial adoptive placement and escalating EB across childhood, controlling for age, gender, race-ethnicity, preadoption maltreatment, and adoptive family cohesion. Preadoption maltreatment history was unrelated to baseline EB, although sexual abuse history predicted escalating childhood EB post-adoption, whereas exposure to family violence (e.g., domestic violence) inversely predicted EB over time. By late adolescence/young adulthood 11–15 years post-adoption, rates of arrest and substance use in this sample were relatively comparable to normative populations of youth, although older age of adoption predicted more substance use in late adolescence/young adulthood. Findings highlight early reactive temperament and preadoption maltreatment as important risk factors to target for ameliorating patterns of EB growth in the first few years of adoption.     

Effects of multiple maltreatment experiences among psychiatrically hospitalized youth

OBJECTIVE: Relying on indicators coded from information collected routinely during intake assessments at a secure inpatient psychiatric facility, this study examined the extent to which different forms of maltreatment accounted for variations in youths' emotional and behavioral problems. METHODS: Clinical information was reviewed for a large (N=401) and diverse sample (mean age=13.9 years; 53% male; 54.6% racial/ethnic minority) of youth admitted to a publicly funded psychiatric hospital. Data were drawn from intake narratives, standardized psychopathology rating scales, and psychiatric diagnostic ratings. RESULTS: Findings provide some support for a hierarchical classification of multiple maltreatment experiences with sexual abuse identified as the specific form of maltreatment most reliably associated with poor adjustment. Support also was obtained for a cumulative classification approach, as the number of different types of maltreatment experiences was linked positively to elevated psychopathology ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Even in this high-risk, atypical sample, maltreatment experiences account for variation in levels of psychopathology. These results have implications for classifying multiple maltreatment and enhancing clinical care for atypical youth who have been maltreated. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians working in youth psychiatric populations should implement maltreatment-specific psychotherapy approaches for maltreated youth, even as adjunctive treatments in a therapeutic milieu.     

Educational attainment for youth who were maltreated in adolescence: Investigating the influence of maltreatment type and foster care placement

Decades of research have consistently shown a link between foster care and low rates of high school completion. Despite the overwhelming knowledge surrounding this association, it remains unclear whether the low rates of high school completion are due to placement in foster care or the maltreatment and other contextual factors that foster care youth have experienced. This study examined the extent to which (a) maltreatment type and (b) foster care placement were associated with the educational attainment of 337 maltreated adolescents. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using two waves of data and the ACR dataset of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). After controlling for academic risk factors related to the adolescents (age, race, and gender), their family (household poverty and parental education), and their environment (community environment), neither maltreatment type nor foster care placement status were associated with subsequent high school completion.Overall, only 58% of the maltreated adolescents reported completing their education. That is about 15% less than the national average at the time data were collected for this study. Results, overall, suggest a need for educational supports and interventions for youth who experience maltreatment during their adolescent years, regardless of maltreatment type and foster care placement.