Objective To ascertain adult outcomes in ten domains reflecting symptomatology (internalizing, externalizing, self-injury, substance use), attainment (education, employment), and impairment (health, social, driving, overall) as a function of both childhood diagnosis of ADHD and persistence of ADHD symptoms across time. Method We prospectively followed 140 grade-school-aged girls with rigorously diagnosed childhood ADHD and 88 age- and ethnicity-matched comparison girls for 16 years. Outcome measures were obtained via self- and parent-report questionnaires, interviews, and objective tests. Results Childhood ADHD, whether it remitted or persisted, was a pernicious risk factor for a limited number of poor outcomes, including low educational attainment, unplanned pregnancy, body mass index, and clinician-rated impairment. Childhood ADHD that persisted over time, whether completely or partially, was associated with a number of additional detrimental outcomes in the externalizing, internalizing, self-injury, occupational, social, and overall impairment domains. Finally, in this all-female sample, ADHD was not associated with objective measures of employment, substance use, or driving outcomes. Conclusions We discuss the considerable impairments accruing from both childhood-limited and adult-persisting ADHD, with major implications for the health and well-being of females with this neurodevelopmental disorder.

Objective To expand the evidence base of the Supporting Father Involvement (SFI) intervention to include child welfare families. Background Taking a preventive father‐inclusive approach, SFI aims to strengthen coparenting, parent–child relationships, and child outcomes. This study replicates 4 prior iterations of the program using the same 32‐hour curriculum facilitated by clinically trained staff, case managers, and onsite child care and family meals. Method Participants (N = 239) included low‐income (median = $24,000) coparenting pairs, typically mothers and fathers/father figures, half of whom were Mexican American, with toddlers (median age < 3 years). Questionnaires assessing multiple family domains were administered verbally over an 18‐month period. Intervention effectiveness was tested through a randomized control trial with immediate treatment or waitlist–control groups using a moderated mediator structural equation model. Results The model explained 49% to 56% of the variance in children's problem behaviors (intervention and autoregressive effects). The intervention reduced couple conflict, which reduced anxious and harsh parenting, leading to better child outcomes. The intervention was equally effective for community and child welfare–referred families and family dynamics pathways were similar across conditions. Conclusion With its intentional outreach and inclusion of fathers, SFI offers an effective intervention for lower risk child welfare–involved families. Implications Results argue for the utility of treating community and child welfare parents in mixed‐gender prevention groups that focus on strengthening multiple levels of family relationships.

Following an earlier randomized clinical trial, now with broadened sample criteria, 236 low‐income White, Mexican American, and African American couples participated in 16‐week Supporting Father Involvement couples groups, with assessments at baseline, 2‐, and 13‐months postintervention. Because couples in the earlier control condition experienced no benefits and some declines in adaptation, a control condition was not offered. Data from the original couples groups (n = 96) and controls (n = 98) served as benchmarks for evaluating the current results. Of 11 measures in this study, 10 revealed positive baseline–post 2 changes. Father involvement increased for current couples group participants, though not as much as for benchmark couples group participants: they showed statistically similar positive changes on six measures (decline in parenting stress, stability in couple relationship satisfaction, children's hyperactivity, social withdrawal, psychological symptoms, increased income), and greater positive change on two of three measures (reductions in parents' violent problem solving, children's aggression).

TRUE Dads, a federally funded Responsible Fatherhood intervention, aims to strengthen three of men's key roles in the family: (1) as fathers, building and maintaining positive engagement with their child; (2) as partners, maintaining a positive relationship with their co-parent; and (3) as providers, through fostering employment and economic self-sufficiency. A feature of the program is How to cite this article: Cowan, P. A., Cowan C. P., & Gillette P. F. (2022). TRUE Dads: The impact of a couples-based fatherhood intervention on family relationships, child outcomes, and economic self-sufficiency.

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