Citation

Akin BA, Brook J, Lloyd MH, McDonald TP. Child Maltreat. 2017; 22(3): 194-204.

Affiliation

School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559517702743

PMID

28393533

Abstract

Although parental substance abuse has been identified as a risk factor for poor foster care outcomes, current research on effective interventions is limited. A few studies have shown that parenting interventions improved parenting skills and family functioning and decreased time to reunification among children in foster care due to parental substance abuse. However, more research is needed to evaluate whether these interventions positively impact reentry rates. Using propensity score analyses to establish a matched comparison group, survival analyses evaluated the relationship between participation in a parenting intervention, the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), and reentry among a sample of 493 children previously reunified with their parents. The overall reentry rate was 20.9%. Analyses indicated that there was no difference in reentry rates between the SFP (23.7%) and comparison groups (18.6%). Significant predictors of reentry were child behavior problems, family poverty, and reunification between 15 and 18 months from removal.

Language: en

Keywords

evidence-based treatment; foster care; intervention research; recidivism; substance abuse