Scottye J. Cash

An Ecological Model of Maternal Substance Abuse and Child Neglect: Issues, Analyses, and Recommendations

This study examined an ecological model of maternal substance abuse and child neglect. Data are presented that identified an interplay among family history, interpersonal risk factors, current family functioning, and community networks in examinations of child neglect in a sample of substance-abusing women entering treatment.

Risk assessment in child welfare: The art and science.

This paper is an analysis of the current state of risk assessment in child welfare practice. The art (practice wisdom) and science (empirically based instruments) of risk assessment are highlighted and provide a unique focus on risk assessment than has previously been presented in the literature. Factors predicting the occurrence and the recurrence of child maltreatment are discussed, prior research is examined, and methodological problems and limitations are provided. Recommendations are offered on the integration of art and science in risk assessment to formulate the most effective and holistic assessment of the family.

Institutionalization, Behavior and International Adoption: Predictors of Behavior Problems

Since the mid-1990s, over 10,0000 children have immigrated to the United States annually via international adoption. These children bring to their families unique strengths, as well as the possibility, for some, of physical, emotional and behavioral health risks, and challenges. This article presents predictive models on behavioral health problems for one group of international adoptees from Romania (n = 216). It is a companion piece to an earlier article that described behavior issues and compared the international adoptees to a group of children adopted through the public child welfare system using a cross-sectional approach. This article illustrates that a history of institutionalization had minimal long-term adverse effects on a childs behavioral health. The parent–child relationship was a strong resource for parents at both time periods. However, there was a strong relationship between parental negative reports with the relationship and child behavior problems.

Adolescent suicide statements on MySpace

The use of social networking sites (SNSs) has proliferated throughout the last several years for all populations, but especially adolescents. Media reports have also identified several instances in which adolescents broadcast their suicidal behaviors via the Internet and/or SNSs. Despite the increase in the usage of SNSs, there has been little research conducted on how adolescents use SNSs to communicate these behaviors. The objective of this study was to explore the ways in which adolescents use MySpace to comment on their suicidal thoughts and intentions. Content analysis was used to identify suicidal statements from public profiles on MySpace. The original sample consisted of 1,038 comments, made by young people ages 13-24 years old. The final sample resulted in 64 comments, where Potential Suicidality was identified. Through content analysis, the following subthemes (within the Potential Suicidality theme) were found: Relationships, Mental Health, Substance Use/Abuse, Method of Suicide, and Statements without Context. Examples and discussion for each subtheme are identified. The comments referenced a significant amount of hopelessness, despair, and desperation. This study provides support that adolescents use public Web sites to display comments about their suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and possible intentions. Future research is warranted to explore the relationship between at-risk behaviors and suicidality as expressed on SNSs.

The Impact of Family Preservation Services on Child and Family Well-Being

ABSTRACT Using a logic model as a conceptual framework, a family preservation program is described and evaluated. The current study explores the relationship between family characteristics, services provided, and three outcomes: successful case closure, child well-being, and family well-being. The methodology included an associational design, an availability sample, and hierarchical logistic and multiple regression. It was found that services have minimal effects on outcomes and, at times, families appear to get worse, depending on their family circumstances. This study sought to contribute to the family preservation knowledge base by examining the effect of both client and process level data on multiple child and family outcomes.

Institutions of Youth Development: The Significance of Supportive Staff-Youth Relationships

Abstract Youth development organizations are key institutions that contribute to healthy outcomes for youths. The development of caring staff-youth relationships is one key youth development program strategy. Using structural equation modeling, the present study examined the importance of these relationships on impacting school-related attitudes and behaviors among 149 youth participants in a Boys & Girls Club program. Results indicate that staff-youth relationships are positively related to the development of pro-social school behaviors, and negatively associated with the display of anti-social school behaviors. Findings point to the importance of supportive staff-youth relationships within institutions serving youths.

Family Characteristics and Child Welfare Services: Does the Assessment Drive Service Provision?

A process study was performed on a program that was designed to prevent ineffective foster placement, to determine the match between family problems identified during assessment and subsequent services provided to the family. The individualization and “fit” of services to specific family needs is the foundation of assessment practice, but little research has documented the extent to which fit occurs. This study of 115 families and their services found that fit is best when concrete, rather than clinical, services are provided, but that parenting issues continue to drive the provision of all services.

The Multidimensional Adolescent Assessment Scale: A Validation Study

The Multidimensional Adolescent Assessment Scale is a tool for the assessment of the severity of personal and social problems in adolescence. It is composed of 16 subscales relevant to adolescent functioning, including depression; self-esteem; problems with mother, father, or family; personal stress; problems with friends or school; aggression; suicidal thoughts; feelings of guilt; confused thinking; disturbing thoughts; memory loss; and alcohol or drug use. The scale was designed for use by practitioners in a variety of disciplines to assess a comprehensive array of problem areas to facilitate diagnosis and targeted treatment planning. This article provides a description of the scale, explains the method of scoring, and presents the psychometric properties of the instrument.

Measuring Service Delivery in a Placement Prevention Program

Abstract In child welfare, there are numerous outcome studies, while the number of process studies have paled in comparison. The few process studies that have been conducted are primarily case studies and the findings are not applicable to other types of programs. Based on the limitation in the current knowledge base, the Service Delivery Tracking Log was developed by a family-based prevention program to assist workers in documenting various service elements and in assessing treatment fidelity. The program under study followed ecological principles of practice as defined by Whittaker, Schinke and Gilchrist (1986), which framed the content and the structure of services. When caseworkers used the new service instrument instead of narrative case notes to document services delivered, researchers and program administrators were able to assess, quantitatively, the extent to which these principles were enacted, and where the program had drifted from service tenets. The service instrument is presented and described, and descriptive analyses illustrate its potential use to determine treatment fidelity and implement the program evaluation process within a child welfare context.

Creating Community Through Psychoeducational Groups in Family Preservation Work

Intensive family preservation services are a specialized form of child welfare services based on the proposition that an intensive, multisystemic intervention can bolster the familys internal and external resources and prevent further child maltreatment and the need for placement of children into foster care. Research on child maltreatment has identified social isolation as a primary correlate of child abuse and neglect but has also found that informal social support from family and friends can be detrimental to family integrity. Formal pychoeducational support groups are presented and described as an alternative method to create supportive networks for families seeking to remain safe and remain together.