Annette K. Griffith

The Family Characteristics of Youth Entering a Residential Care Program

Although much is known about the mental health and behavioral functioning of youth who enter residential care programs, very little research has focused on examining the family characteristics of this population. Knowledge about family characteristics is important, however, as it can aid in tailoring programs to meet the needs of families who are involved in treatment and help them address concerns in order to facilitate the transition home. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the characteristics of youths families at the time of entry into a residential care program. Using data from archived youth files, family characteristics were examined across several areas, including: (a) youth variables related to family (e.g., out-of-home placements, legal guardian), (b) family risk (e.g., substance abuse, domestic violence, financial problems), and (c) parenting (e.g., adequate supervision, discipline, communication). Findings suggested that youth entering residential care programs have families with high levels of risk and low levels of parenting skills. Implications and considerations for future research are discussed

Prevalence of Physical Health Problems Among Youth Entering Residential Treatment

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of physical health problems among youth entering residential treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The sample included 1744 youth (mean age: 14.6 ± 1.8 years) entering a large residential treatment program between 2000 and 2010. Youth received an intake medical evaluation, including a review of available records, detailed medical history, and physical examination. Medical conditions present at the time of the evaluation were recorded by the examining physician and later coded by the research team. Only diagnoses recognized by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, were included in the analyses. To maintain the focus on physical health problems, behavioral and emotional disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision were excluded. Obesity, acne, and allergies were also excluded. RESULTS: Approximately one-third (33.7%) of youth had a physical health diagnosis at the time of intake. Asthma was the most prevalent condition diagnosed (15.3% of the sample). Girls were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis than were boys (37.1% vs 31.5%). Age was not associated with diagnostic status. Rates of physical health conditions differed significantly by ethnicity: black (36.4%) and white (35.4%) youth had the highest rates, and Hispanic youth (23.2%) had the lowest. CONCLUSIONS: Youth who enter residential treatment have high rates of physical health conditions. These problems could complicate mental health treatment and should be considered in multidisciplinary treatment planning.

Interventions to improve the literacy functioning of adolescents with emotional and/or behavior disorders: A review of the literature between 1965 and 2005

This review examines interventions intended to improve the literacy functioning of adolescent students with emotional and/or behavior disorders. Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria and included a variety of interventions designed to affect a variety of literacy areas, including spelling, writing, and reading fluency. Findings from these studies indicate that, overall, several different intervention types produced increases across areas of literacy functioning. However, both participant and setting characteristics were poorly described and were not representative of the population with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. The lack of research on interventions to increase adolescent literacy limits the generalizability of the results to a broader population. Considerations for practice implications and future research are discussed.

Factor Structure, Internal Consistency, and Interrater Reliability of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale

The current study examined the initial psychometrics of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale (ECBPSS; Epstein & Nelson, 2006), namely the factor structure and associated internal consistency of factor items of parent and teacher versions as well as interrater reliability. Data came from samples of preschool- and kindergarten-age children from 2 medium-size cities in the U.S. midwest. Separate analyses of the parent and teacher data revealed internalizing and externalizing factors, with Cronbachs alphas ranging from .83 to .95. Parent and teacher interrater reliability coefficients ranged from .32 to .37. Overall, the results suggest that the 12-item ECBPSS Parent and Teacher forms may be useful for screening young children who may be at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders.

Creating and Sustaining Effective Partnerships to Advance Research on Youth With Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

A key barrier to conducting research involving children and families is the difficulty of creating partnerships among researchers, treatment agencies, and schools. This article describes several key factors that were essential to establishing an effective research collaboration between practitioners and university-based researchers, including a mutual respect for the unique needs of research and practice; a strategy for joint decision making; a partnership model of incremental growth; a plan for mentoring junior faculty and students; a format for regular contact between the partners; and a plan for long-term sustainability. This collaboration has conducted over a dozen evaluation studies, as well as examined best practice issues surrounding the needs of children and families with serious emotional and behavioral needs. Even more important has been the lines of research that have been developed from this partnership which keeps the collaboration focused. The lessons learned from this research partnership should inform other collaborations.

Convergent Validity of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale

This study examined the convergent validity of the parent and teacher versions of the Early Childhood Behavior Problem Screening Scale (ECBPSS) with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF), respectively. Data were collected on a sample of preschool and kindergarten students (n = 149) from two medium-sized cities in the Midwest. Analyses of both the parent and teacher versions of the ECBPSS were correlated with the corresponding Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problem scale scores of the CBCL and the C-TRF. The present findings and future research directions and limitations are discussed.

Treatment Integrity of Literacy Interventions for Students With Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders A Review of Literature

This review examines the treatment integrity data of literacy interventions for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD). Forty-four studies published between 1977 and 2005 were examined. Findings indicate that studies focusing on literacy interventions for students with EBD included clear operational definitions and data on treatment integrity to a higher degree than have been found in other disciplines. However, neither were consistently reported and treatment integrity data were still only reported in just over half of the studies. Considerations for future research and reporting are discussed.

Assessing Staff Competence at Implementing a Multifaceted Residential Program for Youth: Development and Initial Psychometrics of a Staff Observation Form.

Summary This study describes the development of the Staff Implementation Observation Form, an instrument to assess staff competence delivering an intervention to youth in group home care with behavioral or emotional disorders. This instrument assesses staff skill at implementing the key treatment components, including building relationships with youth, teaching skills to youth, implementing a token economy, and establishing a youth self‐government system. The pilot study, observing 92 staff members, found that the instrument possesses promising psychometric qualities, including adequate inter‐rater agreement, internal scale consistency, and predictive validity. A cluster analysis identified groups of staff that had low, average, and high implementation. The instrument allows administrators to examine item‐level implementation of residential staff to identify specific training needs within each subscale.

Assessing the Strengths of Young Children at Risk: Examining Use of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale With a Head Start Population

Over the past decade, there has been an increased need for the development and use of psychometrically acceptable measures to assess the behavioral and emotional strengths of young children served in statewide preschool and Head Start programs. One measure developed to address this need is the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS), which is a strength-based instrument designed to evaluate the behavioral and emotional strengths of preschool children aged 3 to 5 years old. In a previous study with a nationally representative sample, researchers found that (a) the items of the PreBERS can best be described by a four-factor structure model (Emotional Regulation, School Readiness, Social Confidence, and Family Involvement), (b) the subscales and total measure have highly acceptable levels of internal consistency, and (c) differences were obtained for levels of strength for preschool children with and without disabilities. The findings of this investigation replicate these previous results with a national sample of children (N = 962) enrolled in Head Start programs. Confirmatory factor analysis and analyses of internal consistency and criterion validity provide support for the use of the PreBERS with children served in Head Start programs. Study limitations and implications are addressed.