Mark W. Roosa

Developing Linkages between Theory and Intervention in Stress and Coping Processes

The constructs of stress and coping have held an important role in theories about the development of problems of childhood and adolescents and in intervention models about how to prevent the occurrence of such problems (Haggerty, Sherrod, Garmezy, & Rutter, 1994; Rolf, Masten, Cicchetti, Nuechterlein, & Weintraub, 1990; Cowen, 1980; Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994; Hetherington & Blechman, 1996). Stress has been implicated in the development of a wide range of problems, and a rich literature has developed on factors that enable children to be resilient against the negative effects of stress (Gore & Eckenrode, 1994). In a parallel fashion, improving child and adolescent adaptation to stress has been identified as one of the most promising approaches to preventing the development of problems of childhood and adolescence (Compas, Phares, & Ledoux, 1989; Cowen, 1985; Bloom, 1990). For example, in their comprehensive annotated bibliography of primary prevention programs between 1983 and 1991, Trickett, Dahiyal, and Selby (1994) identified 169 citations concerning prevention programs under the headings of stressful life events, social support, and crisis intervention. Many of these stress-based preventive interventions have been empirically evaluated and found to have beneficial effects (Mrazek & Haggerty, 1994; Price, Cowen, Lorion, & Ramos-McKay, 1988). Unfortunately, however, the links between the theoretical and intervention research literatures are not strong.

Early Puberty and Adolescent Pregnancy: The Influence of Alcohol Use

Objective. Early pubertal timing predicts deleterious outcomes for young girls, including substance use, risky sexual behavior, and pregnancy. In turn, adolescent pregnancy predicts long-term negative consequences such as reduced educational attainment and income-earning potential. Despite evidence of the direct links between early puberty and negative outcomes, this study is the first to examine the role that alcohol plays in the timing of sexual intercourse and pregnancy among early-maturing females. Design. Participants were 666 females, aged 18 to 22 years, from 4 major ethnic groups in Arizona (non-Hispanic white, black, Latino, and Native American). All women included in the sample had experienced a pregnancy in their teens or early 20s. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about their timing of menarche, sexual initiation, first alcohol use, and age at first pregnancy. A mediating model predicting age at pregnancy was tested by using path modeling. Results. Early puberty was found to be associated with earlier age of alcohol use and sexual initiation, which in turn predicted early pregnancy. Age at first sexual intercourse and age at first substance use significantly mediated the relation between age at menarche and age at first pregnancy. The results did not vary by ethnic group. Conclusions. Girls who mature early are more likely to engage in early substance use and sexual intercourse, which in turn puts them at greater risk for adolescent pregnancy. It is important that health care providers are sensitive to the risks associated with early maturation among young girls and provide preventive screening, education, and counseling related to alcohol use and sexual initiation for this group.

Studying ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged populations : methodological challenges and best practices

Ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged populations have been historically underrepresented in social science research, and despite improvements in recent years, this trend continues today. Given the rapidly changing demographics of the United States, there is an acute need for more targeted research on these populations, which requires an understanding of diversity and a more nuanced understanding of human behavior and outcomes. Unfortunately, there is a relative dearth of information in standard research texts regarding the unique methodological challenges associated with conducting research with these populations. George P. Knight, Mark W. Roosa, and Adriana J. Umana-Taylor have filled that gap with a book that identifies strategies for overcoming the obstacles social scientists routinely face in these situations. In this volume, the authors: discuss strategies for resolving typical problems in sampling, recruitment and retention; address ethical issues associated with researching these populations; examine issues associated with measurement and the importance of measurement equivalence; describe potential linguistic problems with translated measures and provide solutions to maintain the credibility of scientific inferences based on those measures, and; present strategies for adapting previously published preventive interventions for use with ethnic minority and low-income populations. Throughout, the authors combine firsthand experience with a thorough and incisive understanding of the literature. The result is a vital, comprehensive resource that will be a great help for students and experienced researchers alike.

Prevention Science and Neighborhood Influences on Low-Income Children's Development: Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this research may be useful to prevention scientists. Most studies have ignored processes by which neighborhood conditions influence individual outcomes. To encourage neighborhood research that can better guide the development of preventive interventions, we propose a model that focuses attention on mediating and moderating processes, is appropriate for studies interested in individual differences in outcomes, acknowledges the transactions between residents and neighborhoods, and is sensitive to how neighborhood influences may differ for children at different developmental stages. Furthermore, we argue that greater attention to several methodological issues also can make neighborhood research more useful for the next generation of prevention programs to help low-income urban families and children cope successfully with the challenges posed by their neighborhoods.

The Relationship Between Acculturation and Problem Behavior Proneness in a Hispanic Youth Sample: A Longitudinal Mediation Model

This study, using secondary data analysis, examined prospectively a mediation model of the relationship between acculturation and problem behavior proneness among 330 Hispanic children and adolescents from an urban school district in the southwest region of the United States. Acculturation was predicted to have an indirect, but positive, relationship to problem behavior proneness through parental involvement and self-esteem. The results partially supported the model and indicated that parental involvement, but not self-esteem, played a significant mediational role in childrens problem behavior proneness. The individual indicators of problem behavior proneness among Hispanic youth were significantly interrelated, which is consistent with problem behavior theory as conceptualized by R. Jessor (1984) and R. Jessor and S. L. Jessor (1977). Findings from this study provide implications for future research and intervention designs.

A mediational model of the impact of interparental conflict on child adjustment in a multiethnic, low-income sample

Path analysis was used to determine whether the effects of interparental conflict on childrens depression and conduct disorder are mediated by 3 dimensions of parenting: acceptance, inconsistent discipline, and hostile control. The study extends the literature by testing this mediational model with a low-income, predominantly ethnic minority sample of preadolescent children and by examining the effects of multiple dimensions of interparental conflict from the childs perspective. Results supported the mediational model when analyses were based on childs reports of all variables but not when mothers reports were used to assess child depression and conduct problems. Exploratory analyses revealed unique mediational paths associated with conflict frequency and resolution, which were examined along with intensity as distinct dimensions of interparental conflict.

Recruitment and Retention of High-Risk Families into a Preventive Parent Training Intervention

This article describes the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating recruitment and retention strategies for an eight session preventive parenting program designed for high-risk minority parents from low-income inner-city communities. The program was offered in both Spanish and English to a sample of 142 one- and two-parent families (78% Mexican immigrant or Mexican American, 15% African American, and 9% Anglo, Native American, and other). Recruitment and retention strategies resulted in a 70% participation rate with 48% of the families attending 5-8 sessions and 22% attending 1-4 sessions. Attendance rates were higher for married and cohabiting mothers than for single mothers and for Spanish speaking mothers compared to English-speaking Latino mothers. New categories are presented to improve future reporting of recruitment and retention data.

An examination of the cross-ethnic equivalence of measures of negative life events and mental health among Hispanic and Anglo-American children

Recently there has been concern over the need for mental health research within ethnic minority populations, particularly Hispanic populations. Although there has been research focusing upon the similarity of mental health problems among Hispanic and Anglo-American samples, the absence of information regarding the cross-ethnic measurement equivalence of the assessment tools used in these comparisons seriously limits the interpretability of these findings. The two reported studies were designed to (a) examine the cross-ethnic functional and scalar equivalence of several mental health measures by examining the interrelations of these mental health indicators and examining the regression equations using negative life events to predict mental health outcomes; and (b) compare several mental health indicators among Hispanic and Anglo-American 8- to 14-year-old children. Findings suggest considerable cross-ethnic functional and scalar equivalence for the measure of depression, conduct disorders, and negative life events. In addition, findings indicate that the Hispanic children scored higher in depression than did the Anglo-American children, but this difference could be a function of differences in SES. The reader is cautioned that the present samples included only English-speaking and primarily Mexican American children.

Economic hardship, neighborhood context, and parenting: Prospective effects on Mexican American adolescent’s mental health

This study examined family and neighborhood influences relevant to low-income status to determine how they combine to predict the parenting behaviors of Mexican–American mothers and fathers. The study also examined the role of parenting as a mediator of these contextual influences on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Study hypotheses were examined in a diverse sample of Mexican–American families in which 750 mothers and 467 fathers reported on their own levels of parental warmth and harsh parenting. Family economic hardship, neighborhood familism values, and neighborhood risk indicators were all uniquely associated with maternal and paternal warmth, and maternal warmth mediated the effects of these contextual influences on adolescent externalizing symptoms in prospective analyses. Parents’ subjective perceptions of neighborhood danger interacted with objective indicators of neighborhood disadvantage to influence maternal and paternal warmth. Neighborhood familism values had unique direct effects on adolescent externalizing symptoms in prospective analyses, after accounting for all other context and parenting effects.

Evaluation of an Abstinence-Only Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program: A Replication.

This second evaluation of an abstinence-only adolescent pregnancy prevention program included 528 children. None of the desired changes in attitudes or behavior occurred for the sample as a whole or for the subgroup who were virgins. Taken in context with a lack of satisfactory results from other abstinence-only programs the federal policy of relying exclusively on abstinence-only programs is called into question. (authors)