James K. Nash

The Carolina Child Checklist of Risk and Protective Factors for Aggression

Objective: Extending the Social Health Profile and other instruments that measure problem behavior in childhood, the Carolina Child Checklist (CCC) was developed to measure risk and protective factors related to aggressive behavior in children ages 6 to 12. This study reports the psychometric properties of the CCC. Method: The measure’s dimensionality, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), standard error of measurement, and validity (convergent, concurrent, treatment sensitivity) were evaluated in a project involving 171 sixth-grade students. Results: Factor analysis indicated four dimensions called Learning Orientation (behaviors and attributes related to classroom success), Relational Aggression, Social Involvement, and Physical Aggression. The measure has high internal consistency with low measurement error. Test-retest findings suggest a stable measure. The CCC has good convergent and concurrent validity and appears sensitive to treatment effects. Conclusions: The CCC is a promising measure for social workers assessing risk and protective factors related to childhood aggression.

Defining and estimating risk and protection: An illustration from the school success profile

This article links a risk and protection conceptual framework with definitions of risk and protection from epidemiology. It describes methods for estimating and modeling risk and protection that yield readily interpretable results using contingency tables and logistic regression. Data from a national sample of adolescents illustrate key concepts, providing implications for research and practice.

The Effectiveness of Aftercare Services for African American Families in an Intensive Family Preservation Program

Objective: This project tested the effectiveness of extended aftercare in an intensive family preservation program for African American families. Method: Service providers collected pretest and posttest data for 49 families who received intensive services only and 69 who received aftercare in addition to intensive services. Results: In the year following termination, nonrelative placements for the entire sample were reduced to 20.3% from 41.5% in the year prior to receiving services ( p < .01). Families receiving aftercare had a postservice placement rate of 13.0% (p < .05). Services were less effective with caregivers with criminal involvement or mental health issues. Discussion: Significant reductions in re-referrals for neglect (p < .01) and improvement in factors contributing to child well-being (p < .01) indicate that child safety was not compromised by providing in-home services as an alternative to placement.

Early Development and Pilot Testing of a Problem-Solving Skills-Training Program for Children

This pilot study examined the impact of a prototype problem-solving skills-training program, Making Choices, on proximal outcomes in 70 6th-grade students. Method: Students received three components of Making Choices and completed pretest and posttest measures of skills on each component. Paired-sample t tests were used to assess proximal effects. Baseline measures were used to identify four subgroups of children, and differences in skill acquisition across subgroups were assessed. Results: Students displayed significantly higher scores at posttest on measures of two of three proximal skills. Nonaggressive-accepted and aggressive-accepted students displayed stronger skills at posttest, and aggressive-rejected and nonaggressive-rejected students failed to show significant gains. Conclusions: Results provided preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of Making Choices and guided refinement of the prototype program.

Using multilevel statistical models in social work intervention research

ABSTRACT Statistical analyses of data from a classroom-based study illustrate the need to account for intra-class clustering in studies involving schools, classrooms, and other higher order units of analysis. Students were clustered in homerooms that were assigned to intervention and comparison conditions. Standard multiple linear regression analysis yielded a significant group effect but incorrectly ignored intra-cluster response correlations. A multilevel model appropriately accounting for the dependency among responses in the same cluster yielded a nonsignificant group effect. Implications for the analysis of intervention research data are discussed.

Residential trajectories of participants in North Carolina's Willie-M. Program : A semi-parametric group based model

Abstract A semi-parametric mixture model was fit using data on 611 children with serious emotional disturbance who participated in North Carolinas Willie-M. Program from 1995 to 2000 to identify patterns of residential restrictiveness over time. Results revealed 4 distinct restrictiveness trajectories: low/stable, high/stable, increasing, and decreasing. Correlates of trajectory group membership included age, IQ, initial behavior, and region of the state. Number of diagnoses and change in behavior did not predict group membership. Interpretation of results is guided by a consideration of the goal of wraparound systems of care to provide services and supports in community based and normalizing settings.

Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring on Offending in Victimized Youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Empirical and conceptual literature in the United States and Western Europe provides robust evidence of victimization as a risk factor for juvenile offending and parental monitoring as a protective factor. The current study examines relationships among victimization, monitoring, and offending using a sample of youth from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Findings indicate monitoring has a protective effect, victimization increases risk, monitoring level moderates the effect of victimization on offending, and moderation effects vary by age and gender. Discussion of findings identifies implications for efforts in BiH to develop a comprehensive strategy for preventing and responding to juvenile offending.

Level of Parental Involvement on Early Childhood Intervention Teams

The authors report the results of a study of the relationship between the level of parent involvement on early childhood intervention teams and social worker membership on the team. Results of the study, based on a sample of 55 early intervention team members, supported the hypothesis that the presence of a social worker as a regular member of the early intervention team is associated with a higher level of parent involvement. Strategies to facilitate an active role for parents on multidisciplinary early intervention teams are presented.