Tracy W. Harachi

Raising healthy children through enhancing social development in elementary school: Results after 1.5 years

This study examined results of a comprehensive, multifaceted longitudinal school-based prevention program called Raising Healthy Children (RHC). RHC focuses on enhancing protective factors with the goal of promoting positive youth development, reducing identified risk factors, and preventing adolescent problem behaviors. Participants included 938 elementary students from first or second grade who were enrolled in 10 area schools in the Pacific Northwest and randomly divided into two groups, those receiving RHC and peer controls. Analyses were conducted 18 months after implementation and focused on academic and behavioral improvements within the school environment. Results using hierarchical linear modeling showed that RHC students, compared to their peers who did not receive the intervention, had significantly higher teacher-reported academic performance (t ratio=2.27, p<.001) and a stronger commitment to school (t ratio=2.16, p<.03). Similarly, teachers reported that RHC students showed a significant decrease in antisocial behaviors (t ratio=−2.43, p<.02) and increased social competency (t ratio=2.96, p<.01) compared to control peers. Regression results from parent-reported outcomes also showed that RHC students had higher academic performance, β=.082, t=2.72, p<.01 and a stronger commitment to school, β=.080, t=2.45, p<.02. Results from this study and their implications for early and long-term prevention are discussed.

Longitudinal Effects of Student Mobility on Three Dimensions of Elementary School Engagement

Working within the developmental science research framework, this study sought to capture a dynamic and complex view of student mobility. Second- through fifth-grade data (N = 1,003, predominantly Caucasian) were drawn from a longitudinal study, and growth curve analyses allowed for the examination of mobility effects within the context of other factors that put children at risk, including behavior problems and family stress. School changes predicted declines in academic performance and classroom participation but not positive attitude toward school. Time-varying factors such as peer acceptance and teacher support had a positive influence on the growth trajectories of child outcomes. Additionally, teacher support had a particularly strong influence on positive attitudes toward school among children who had more school changes.

Effective Recruitment for Parenting Programs Within Ethnic Minority Communities

This article describes the results of a demonstration project which focused on exploring recruitment and retention of ethnic minority families to a parent training program aimed to prevent substance abuse among their children. The Parenting for Drug-Free Children project sought to deliver a curriculum to parents from several ethnic groups in an urban setting. The targeted ethnic communities were African American, Latino, Native American, and Samoan. The project successfully recruited diverse groups of families to participate in a drug prevention program, many of whom had never participated before in a parenting program. The identification of key individuals for recruiting and accessing networks of potential participants proved to be an effective means of recruitment.

Family processes for children in early elementary school as predictors of smoking initiation

OBJECTIVES To assess the relationship between family processes measured when children are in early elementary school and initiation of cigarette smoking in early adolescence. METHODS The analysis sample of 810 children was drawn from a longitudinal study of students from a suburban school district in the Pacific Northwest. Predictor variables were assessed when children were in second or third grade, and smoking initiation was measured when the children were in sixth or seventh grade. Measures of family processes were entered separately into logistic regression models that included controls for household structure and income, parent smoking, and peer and child characteristics. RESULTS Measures of child attachment to parent and parent involvement with the childs school were significantly and negatively associated with smoking initiation. Among control variables, parent smoking, child grade level, and child antisocial behavior and depression were the strongest predictors of smoking initiation. CONCLUSIONS The results point to the importance of family bonding and parent supportiveness as protective factors and parent smoking and early childhood antisocial behavior and depression as risk factors for smoking initiation in pre- or early adolescence.

Ethnic identity among monoracial and multiracial early adolescents

A measure of ethnic identity, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), was examined in this study with a sample of 2,184 early adolescents who self-identified with a single race or ethnicity (monoracial, n = 1,812) or with two or more racial or ethnic groups (multiracial, n = 372). Principal components and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were used to explore and confirm the factor structure of the MEIM items. Two factors were identified: (a) identification and (b) exploration. Identification was represented by items that reflect a sense of belonging and pride in an individual’s ethnic group. Exploration was represented by items that characterize a search for ethnic group identity and participation in ethnic practices. Reliabilities were adequate for the two subscales (= .84, identification; = .76, exploration). Also, the results indicated that most individuals from monoracial minority groups and multiracial subgroups scored similarly on overall ethnic identity.

Are Multiracial Adolescents at Greater Risk? Comparisons of Rates, Patterns, and Correlates of Substance Use and Violence Between Monoracial and Multiracial Adolescents

Rates and patterns of substance use and violent behaviors among multiracial adolescents were examined and compared with 3 monoracial groups, European, African, and Asian Americans. The relationships between ethnic identity and the subjective experience of racial discrimination, substance use, and violent behavior were also examined. The authors found multiracial adolescents reporting higher rates of problem behaviors. Several significant relationships between ethnic identity and racial discrimination were found with these problem behaviors.

Preadolescent predictors of substance initiation : A test of both the direct and mediated effect of family social control factors on deviant peer associations and substance initiation

A review of the literature suggests that early substance initiation is related to a variety of negative outcomes, including substance misuse or abuse in adolescence and adulthood. This study examines potentially modifiable predictors of early substance initiation, including both family and peer factors known to influence early initiation. A theoretically derived model of substance initiation was tested using structural equation modeling. Results indicate that both family and peer factors have an impact on early substance initiation when children in this sample were 11 and 12 years old. The model explained 60% of the variance in substance initiation. Prosocial family processes (rules, monitoring, and attachment) had a significant impact on child peer association, decreasing involvement with antisocial peers. These prosocial family processes had a significant negative effect on substance initiation even while modeling the influence of antisocial peers. Implications for drug use prevention practice are discussed.

Etiology and prevention of substance use among Asian American youth.

Among populations identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, it is anticipated that the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population will experience the greatest change between 1990 and 2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census. [1996, February]. Current population reports. Series P25-1130. Washington, DC: U.S. Government printing office). Limited studies focus on APIs as a racial group and still fewer disaggregate samples to specific ethnic Asian subgroupings. This paper begins with definitions of the API communities, then examines rates of adolescent drug use, risk and protective factors, and preventive intervention effectiveness focused on API communities. The limited epidemiological data suggest that in general, APIs are at a relatively lower risk for drug use than youth from most other ethnic groups. However, the available data also suggest that use may not be as low as generally assumed with rates for alcohol use, smoking, and some illicit drugs being equal to or exceeding those of African Americans and European Americans. Despite the paucity of available data on particular Asian subgroups, the available data demonstrate that there are differences among API subgroups, underscoring the importance of identifying Asian subgroups when studying substance use and when planning prevention and treatment. The limited data examining the etiology of drug use across API subgroups suggests that some of the risk and protective factors derived from majority based research may also be predictors for these populations. These data support the utility of examining the generalizability of existing tested prevention approaches among different API communities. Finally, further efforts should be made to encourage and support the evaluation of community-based programs that already target and deliver services to API youth.

Level and Change in Reading Scores and Attention Problems During Elementary School as Predictors of Problem Behavior in Middle School

This study examined heterogeneity in change in reading test scores and attention problems during middle childhood and whether heterogeneity in change in these variables predicted later problem behavior. Our sample consisted of 783 students recruited from 10 Pacific Northwest schools. For both reading scores and teacher report of attention problems, latent growth curve models of annual data from Grades 3 to 6 showed statistically significant heterogeneity in initial level and change. Level and change factors for both variables were statistically significant predictors of problem behavior in 7th grade. In a combined model that included growth factors for both reading and attention problems, only level of attention problems had a unique and statistically significant association with problem behavior.

Raising Healthy Children: Examining the Impact of Promoting Healthy Driving Behavior within a Social Development Intervention

This study evaluated the impact of two targeted family sessions focused on driving issues delivered within the context of the Raising Healthy Children project. The Raising Healthy Children project began in the fall of 1993, drawing students in the 1st or 2nd grades from 10 schools. Schools were assigned to an intervention or control condition, and the school-wide, family- and student-focused preventive intervention to address developmentally salient risk and protective factors was delivered during elementary and middle school. The family driving sessions were administered to families in the intervention condition prior to and after teenagers received their drivers license. The first session consisted of a home visit with families designed to help parents and their children improve decision-making skills concerning driving and to develop clear standards and expectations regarding driving-related behavior. A second session, at the time of licensure, was designed to help parents and teens develop a written contract that stated family expectations, a plan for monitoring compliance with these expectations, and consequences for compliance or non-compliance.Consistent with the studys group-randomized design, intervention effects were assessed with multi-level logistic regression models in which students were grouped by their original school assignment. These models assessed specific effects of the driving sessions by adjusting for control variables measured when students were in 8th grade, prior to the driving sessions. Results indicated that students in the intervention group were more likely than students in the control group to report that they had a written driving contract (p = .003, OR = 4.98), and had participated in making the driving rules in the family (p = .025, OR = 1.70). Further, students in the intervention group reported significantly fewer risky behaviors including driving under the influence of alcohol (p = .021, OR = .45) and driving with someone who had been drinking (p = .038, OR = .56).