Mark W. Fraser

Social Information-Processing Skills Training to Promote Social Competence and Prevent Aggressive Behavior in the Third Grades.

This article describes a school-based study designed to promote social competence and reduce aggressive behavior by strengthening childrens skills in processing social information and regulating emotions. Three successive cohorts of 3rd graders (N = 548) from 2 schools participated. In 2000-2001, children received a routine health curriculum; in 2001-2002, students received the Making Choices: Social Problem Solving Skills for Children (MC) program; and in 2002-2003, children received MC supplemented with teacher and parent activities. Compared with children in the routine condition, children in both MC conditions were rated lower on posttest social and overt aggression and higher on social competence. Moreover, they scored significantly higher on an information-processing skills posttest. The findings suggest that prevention programs can strengthen social- emotional skills and produce changes in aggressive behavior.

Steps in intervention research: Designing and developing social programs

This article describes a 5-step model of intervention research. From lessons learned in our work, we develop an outline of core activities in designing and developing social programs. These include (a) develop problem and program theories; (b) design program materials and measures; (c) confirm and refine program components in efficacy tests; (d) test effectiveness in a variety of practice settings; and (e) disseminate program findings and materials. Last, using a risk and protective factor perspective, we discuss the adaptation of interventions for new settings and populations.

Classifying juvenile offenders according to risk of recidivism: Predictive validity, race/ethnicity, and gender

Structured risk assessment instruments are increasingly used in juvenile justice systems to support judicial decision making. They help juvenile justice authorities identify youths with a higher likelihood of repeat delinquency and reduce discretion associated with disposition decision making. To be effective, these instruments should be accurate across diverse populations. This study describes the predictive validity of the North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR) in a sample of 9,534 adjudicated juveniles in North Carolina. Results show the predictive validity of the NCAR to differ by gender and race/ethnicity. Closer inspection reveals that risk factors for recidivism differed according to demographic group and that brief risk assessment instruments such as the NCAR leave other risk factors unmeasured. The results support the utility of risk assessment for juvenile justice decision making and suggest strategies to improve the validity of risk assessment for all offender groups.

Intervention Research in Social Work: Recent Advances and Continuing Challenges:

The purpose of this article is to review substantive and methodological advances in interventive research. Three substantive advances are discussed: (a) the growing use of a risk factor perspective, (b) the emergence of practice-relevant micro social theories, and (c) the increased acceptance of structured treatment protocols and manual. In addition, three methodological developments are discussed. They include new developments for dealing with attrition, for dealing with selection effects, and for decomposing complexities using text and numerical analyses. Arguing that intervention research holds the potential to unify research scholarship in social work, the conclusion discusses ongoing challenges associated with the implementation of new programs, variance in outcomes by method, reactivity to measurement, and construct validity in the context of culture.

North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR): Reliability and Predictive Validity with Juvenile Offenders.

Abstract Actuarial risk assessment instruments are used increasingly in juvenile justice to classify youths according to their risk of recidivism. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of two studies of one instrument: the North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR). In the first study, the inter-rater reliability of the risk assessment instrument was estimated with a sample of 175 court counselors who rated videotaped vignettes of juvenile offenders. In the second study, predictive validity was assessed prospectively by following a statewide sample of 464 delinquent youths for 12 months. Findings indicate that the risk assessment instrument increases reliability as compared to clinical judgment. Moreover, risk scores are correlated significantly with rearrest. However, analyses also show that relationships between risk scores and recidivism vary for subgroups based on gender and race/ethnicity. Though challenges remain in improving the accuracy of risk assessment, the findings suggest that actuarial assessment can be a valuable tool to support decision making in juvenile justice.

The Reliability and Validity of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale

Objective: The internal consistency and construct validity of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS) are reported. The NCFAS is an instrument designed for family assessment and outcome measurement in family preservation services and child welfare. Method: Internal consistency data from 288 participants cases were analyzed. Construct validity data from 126 participants were analyzed, comparing NCFAS scores with those of the Child Well-Being Scales, the Family Inventory of Resources for Management, and the Index of Family Relations. Results: For the internal consistency component, 3 of 5 original factors were supported, and a fourth factor emerged. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .71 to .94. For the construct validation component, 5 of 6 relationships were statistically supported, with concurrent validity correlations ranging from .26 to .71. Conclusions: The internal consistency and construct validity of the NCFAS are supported by these findings.

Conduct Problems and Peer Rejection in Childhood: A Randomized Trial of the Making Choices and Strong Families Programs

This article discusses the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention designed to disrupt developmental processes associated with conduct problems and peer rejection in childhood. Compared with 41 children randomized to a wait list control condition, 45 children in an intervention condition received a social skills training program. At the same time, their parents participated in an in-home family intervention. Compared with control group children, intervention children demonstrated significant improvements on five of six outcome measures. Differences between the experimental and control groups suggest the programs strengthen children’s prosocial behavior, promote their ability to regulate emotions, and increase social contact with peers. Intervention also was associated with significant improvements in classroom comportment and decreases in relational aggression, a measure of coercion in peer relationships. The findings are consistent with those of other programs effective in interrupting risk processes associated with conduct problems in childhood and early adolescence.

Peer Relations of Bullies, Bully-Victims, and Victims: The Two Social Worlds of Bullying in Second-Grade Classrooms

This study examined the social relations of bullies, victims, and bully-victims in second-grade classrooms. Bully-victims are identified as both bullies and victims. The sample consisted of 537 ethnically diverse second-grade students (247 boys, 290 girls) from 37 classrooms across 11 participating schools. Bullies, bully-victims, and victims tended to have somewhat distinct sociometric status and peer-assessed behavioral characteristics. Furthermore, bullies and bully-victims had distinct affiliation patterns. Bullies tended to be members of peer groups that contained few victims and most were in groups in which more than 50% of the members were not involved in bullying. In contrast, bully-victims tended to be members of groups that were composed primarily of bullies (i.e., bullies and bully-victims) and victims (i.e., victims and bully-victims). Implications for understanding the social dynamics of bullying in elementary school are discussed.

Predictive validity of the joint risk matrix with juvenile offenders: a focus on gender and race/ethnicity

Actuarial risk assessment instruments promise to increase decision-making accuracy and equity in settings such as the juvenile justice system, but both aims presume high levels of predictive validity. Prior research suggests that the predictive validity of some juvenile justice risk assessment instruments differs across gender and race/ethnicity. The Joint Risk Matrix (JRM) described herein is an instrument developed to increase the predictive validity of risk assessment for the diverse populations served by the nation’s juvenile courts. The predictive validity of the JRM was estimated on a sample of 536 court-involved juveniles. The instrument demonstrated acceptable levels of validity across all juveniles (AUC = .710). Gender-based differences were explained by gendered patterns of referral to out-of-home placements. Differences by race/ethnicity were reduced compared with previous reports. The findings suggest that risk assessment can be improved by including measures related to the behavior and demeanor of offenders and the cooperation of their parents or caretakers.

School-Based Skills Training to Prevent Aggressive Behavior and Peer Rejection in Childhood: Evaluating the Making Choices Program

This paper reports findings from an evaluation of a school-based prevention program, called Making Choices, which was designed to decrease childhood aggression and peer rejection by teaching children social problem solving and relationship enhancement skills. Using a pre- to post-test control group design, 51 third graders received the intervention program and 50 received the no-intervention control condition. Controlling for pretest scores, children who received the Making Choices intervention had significantly higher scores on social contact, cognitive concentration, and displayed significantly lower overt aggression. Important moderation effects surfaced, indicating that the intervention differentially benefitted high-risk children.