This paper presents the results of a study of state-wide adolescent pregnancy prevention coalitions. Key informants in five states throughout the southern United States were given semi-structured interviews regarding the adolescent pregnancy prevention coalitions in their states. From these interviews and other documents, conclusions were drawn regarding the nature and importance of the environments within which these coalitions operate, the universe of activities in which coalitions engage, and the stages of development of these coalitions. Katz and Kahn's model of social organizations served as the basis for understanding coalitions in terms of these three considerations. Future research should consider the utility of organizational models that can explain more fully the organization--committee hybrid structure that tends to characterize these coalitions.
The Resilient Children Making Healthy Choices (RCMHC) Project is an early childhood prevention initiative designed to promote health and social competence in young children by training their teachers in skills aimed at nurturing children's resilient development. Through a model program implemented in ten Head Start and other community-based preschool classrooms, teachers were trained in the use and integration of resiliency-based substance abuse/violence prevention strategies in their teaching practices. Analysis of outcome data from a pre-post comparison group design revealed increases in teacher interactional skills designed to enhance children's resiliency, and improvements in children's prosocial behaviors.
Traditionally, psychologists evaluating mental health services have been skeptical of patient self-reports. However, as mental health programs expanded into new services, a reassessment of the role of consumers in evaluating mental health programs was warranted. This article addresses the role of consumers in evaluating both traditional services and in assessing the ever-widening scope of mental health programs. In view of the shift toward prevention in mental health, forensic pressure, benefits to the profession, and research developments, the inclusion of consumer satisfaction measures in evaluating mental health services is advocated.Psychologists have been concerned for years with the problem of evaluating mental health services. Traditionally, these evaluations have focused on the outcome of psychotherapy; however, in recent years we have witnessed an expanded scope of mental health programs that includes many new services, for example, public education, paraprofessional training, and consultation. Evaluation measures have differential usefulness in these various programs, and a need exists to discover the types of programs that benefit from various types of evaluation.This article explores the uses of one evaluation instrument, the consumer satisfaction survey, across a range of mental health services-direct and mediated. Direct services comprise the programs in which a provider serves individuals "in need." Direct services include both traditional psychological activities and innovative services from which the recipient is RONALD B. MARGOLIS w a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Bowling Green State University. His research interests include program evaluation, cognitive behavior modification, and attribution theory.
Evaluating consumer perceptions is a recent development in community mental health. The authors surveyed the 504 federally funded community mental health centers to discover the extent to which they assessed consumer satisfaction, the methods used to collect data, and the utility of the results. Of the 366 centers that responded, 48% had gathered consumer feedback in the previous 18 months, and most others planned to initiate such evaluations within a year. Methods of conducting the studies were extremely diverse. Respondents felt the results were useful and shared them primarily with agency personnel, rather than with outside funders, fellow agencies, or clients. The authors conclude that community mental health centers are evaluating consumer satisfaction more frequently than in the recent past, but this movement has not yet developed clear, standardized methods. Until evaluators consolidate their efforts this evaluation strategy will continue to have limited utility.
This paper reviews 33 evaluations of Healthy Families America sites, with emphasis on 15 studies that include a control or comparison group. Outcome domains include child health and development, maternal life course, parenting, and child maltreatment. Parenting outcomes (e.g., parenting attitudes) show the most consistent positive impacts. Mixed results in other domains indicate the need for in-depth research to identify factors associated with better outcomes. Several Downloaded by [Columbia University] at 02:43 12 December 2014factors that may contribute to differences in outcomes are discussed, including site implementation and quality, differences in family risk levels, and recent augmentations to program design. The paper also highlights two large-scale evaluations, one community-wide (Hampton, Virginia) and one statewide (Indiana), to illustrate exemplary evaluation approaches found in HFA research. Overall, HFA's continuing evolution has been positively impacted by researcher-practitioner partnerships.
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