Juvenile justice girls’ depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation 9 years after multidimensional treatment foster care.

Abstract

Objective Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) has been found to reduce delinquency among girls in juvenile justice through 2-year follow-up. Given that such girls are at elevated risk for suicide and depression into adulthood, we tested MTFC effects on long term trajectories of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. Method Girls [n =166; mean (SD) age = 15.3 (1.2) years; 68 % Caucasian] with a recent criminal referral who were mandated to out-of-home care were enrolled in two sequential cohorts. Girls were randomized to receive MTFC (n =81) or group care (GC) treatment as usual (TAU; n =85); the second MTFC cohort also received modules targeting substance use and risky sexual behavior. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were assessed repeatedly through early adulthood [mean (SD) follow-up = 8.8 (2.9) years]. Suicide attempt history was assessed in early adulthood. Results Girls assigned to MTFC showed significantly greater decreases in depressive symptoms across the long-term follow-up than GC girls (π = −.86, p < .05). Decreases in suicidal ideation rates were slightly stronger in MTFC than in GC as indicated by a marginal main effect [odds ratio (OR) = .92, p < .10] and a significant interaction that favored MTFC in the second cohort relative to the first [OR = .88, p < .01]. There were no significant MTFC effects on suicide attempt. Conclusions MTFC decreased depressive symptoms and suicidal thinking beyond the decreases attributable to time and TAU. Thus, MTFC has further impact on girls’ lives than originally anticipated.

Confidence interval estimation for standardized effect sizes in multilevel and latent growth modeling.

“…Moreover, the GMA effect size is independent of the intercorrelations among the repeated measures over time, which meta-analysts have shown to be an important criterion for the d from classical analysis of repeated-measures data to be expressed in the same metric as the d calculated from independent (completely randomized) groups designs (Becker, 1988; Dunlap, Cortina, Vaslow, & Burke, 1996; Morris, 2008; Morris & DeShon, 2002). The GMA d , as calculated with Equation 1, is now frequently found in studies of intervention efficacy, particularly in JCCP (e.g., Aderka, Gillihan, McLean, & Foa, 2013; Arch, Eifert, Davies, Vilardaga, Rose, & Craske, 2012; Chaffin, Funderburk, Bard, Valle, & Gurwitch, 2011; Kerr, DeGarmo, Leve, & Chamberlain, 2014; Ljótsson et al, 2013; Safren, O'Cleirigh, Bullis, Otto, Stein, & Pollack, 2012; Twohig, Hayes, Plumb, Pruitt, Collins, Hazlett-Stevens, & Woidneck, 2010). …”

Juvenile justice, mental health, and the transition to adulthood: A review of service system involvement and unmet needs in the U.S.

“…MTFC utilizes specialized foster homes where caregivers are trained to manage delinquent behaviors until youth can transition back to their families. MTFC also provides individual and family therapy, educational programming, and psychiatric care and is effective in reducing delinquent behaviors, justice system contacts, substance use, depression, and teen pregnancy (Chamberlain, Leve, & DeGarmo, 2007; Kerr, DeGarmo, Leve, & Chamberlain, 2014; Smith, Chamberlain, & Eddy, 2010). Though only evaluated with adolescents, MTFC may prove to be useful if adapted for transition age youth, especially given the push to extend foster care services through the transition age and the focus of MTFC on transitioning youth from foster care back to their communities.…”

The Effects of the Family Bereavement Program to Reduce Suicide Ideation and/or Attempts of Parentally Bereaved Children Six and Fifteen Years Later

“…Despite these challenges several prevention programs that target child or contextual risk and protective factors have found long-term effects on suicidal behavior. Kerr, DeGarmo, Leve and Chamberlain (2014) found that a parenting focused intervention for girls in foster care reduced suicidal ideation (i.e. thoughts about suicide).…”