Top

Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

Published in:

01-09-2013 | Original Article

Not Just a Walk in the Park: Efficacy to Effectiveness for After School Programs in Communities of Concentrated Urban Poverty

Authors: Stacy L. Frazier, Tara G. Mehta, Marc S. Atkins, Kwan Hur, Dana Rusch

Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research | Issue 5/2013

Abstract

This study examined a model for mental health consultation, training and support designed to enhance the benefits of publicly-funded recreational after-school programs in communities of concentrated urban poverty for children’s academic, social, and behavioral functioning. We assessed children’s mental health needs and examined the feasibility and impact of intervention on program quality and children’s psychosocial outcomes in three after-school sites (n = 15 staff, 89 children), compared to three demographically-matched sites that received no intervention (n = 12 staff, 38 children). Findings revealed high staff satisfaction and feasibility of intervention, and modest improvements in observed program quality and staff-reported children’s outcomes. Data are considered with a public health lens of mental health promotion for children in urban poverty.

Afterschool Alliance. (2008). Afterschool Alliance after school for all. Retrieved September 16, 2008, from http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/Fact%20Sheet_Afterschool%20Essential%20stats%2004_08%20FINAL.pdf.

Armstrong, T., & Armstrong, G. (2008). The organizational, community, and programmatic characteristics that predict the effective implementation of after-school programs. Journal of School Violence, 3, 93–109.CrossRef

Atkins, M. S., & Frazier, S. L. (2011). Expanding the toolkit or changing the paradigm: Are we ready for a public health approach to mental health? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 483–487.

Barrish, H. H., Saunders, M., & Wolf, M. M. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2, 119–124.PubMedCrossRef

Botvin, J., Baker, E., Dusenbury, L., Botvin, E. M., & Diaz, T. (1995). Long-term follow-up results of a randomized drug abuse prevention trial in a white middle-class population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1106–1112.PubMedCrossRef

Bourdon, K. H., Goodman, R., Rae, D. S., Simpson, G., & Koretz, D. S. (2005). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: U. S. normative data and psychometric properties. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 557–564.PubMedCrossRef

Bradley, R. H., & Corwyn, R. F. (2002). Socioeconomic status and child development. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 371–399.PubMedCrossRef

Brooks-Gunn, J., & Duncan, G. J. (1997). The effects of poverty on children. Future of Children, 7, 55–71.PubMedCrossRef

Cappella, E., Frazier, S. L., Atkins, M. S., Schoenwald, S. K., & Glisson, C. (2008). Enhancing schools’ capacity to support children in poverty: An ecological model of school-based mental health services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 35, 395–409.PubMedCrossRef

Chronis, A. M., Fabiano, G. A., Gnagy, E. M., Onyango, A. N., Pelham, W. E., Williams, A., et al. (2004). An evaluation of the Summer Treatment Program for children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder using a treatment withdrawal design. Behavior Therapy, 35, 561–585.CrossRef

Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K. A. (1988). Multiple sources of data on social behavior and social status in the school: A cross-age comparison. Child Development, 59, 815–829.PubMedCrossRef

Cross, A. B., Gottfredson, D. C., Wilson, D. M., Rorie, M., & Connell, N. (2009). The impact of after-school programs ton the routine activities of middle-school students: Results from a randomized, controlled trial. Criminology and Public Policy, 8, 391–412.CrossRef

Dishion, T. J. (2000). Cross-setting consistency in early adolescent psychopathology: Deviant friendships and problem behavior sequelae. Journal of Personality, 68, 1109–1127.PubMedCrossRef

Dishion, T. J., McCord, J., & Poulin, F. (1999). When interventions harm: Peer groups and problem behavior. American Psychologist, 54, 255–266.CrossRef

Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2010). A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 294–309.PubMedCrossRef

Embry, D. D. (2002). The Good Behavior Game: A best practice candidate as a universal behavioral vaccine. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 5, 273–297.PubMedCrossRef

Evans, G. W., & Kantrowitz, E. (2002). Socioeconomic status and health: The potential role of environmental risk exposure. Annual Review of Public Health, 23, 303–331.PubMedCrossRef

Fabiano, G. A., Pelham, W. E., Manos, M., Gnagy, E. M., Chronis, A. M., Onyango, A. N., et al. (2004). An evaluation of three time out procedures for children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Behavior Therapy, 35, 449–469.CrossRef

Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. (2008). Childstats.gov: Forum on child and family statistics. Retrieved September 16, 2008, from http://www.childstats.gov/index.asp.

Frazier, S. L., Cappella, E., & Atkins, M. S. (2007). Linking mental health and after school systems for children in urban poverty. Preventing problems, promoting possibilities. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 34, 389–399.PubMedCrossRef

Frazier, S. L., Chacko, A., Van Gessel, C., O’Boyle, C., & Pelham, W. E. (2012). The summer treatment program meets the south side of Chicago: Bridging science and service in urban after-school programs. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17, 86–92.PubMedCrossRef

Fuchs, L., & Fuchs, D. (2000). Analogue assessment of academic skills: Curriculum-based measurement and performance assessment. In E. S. Shapiro & T. R. Kratochwill (Eds.), Behavioral assessment in schools (pp. 168–201). New York: Guilford Press.

Glisson, C., & Schoenwald, S. K. (2005). The ARC organizational and community intervention strategy for implementing evidence-based children’s mental health treatments. Mental Health Services Research, 7, 243–259.PubMedCrossRef

Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337–1345.PubMedCrossRef

Gottfredson, D. C., Cross, A., & Soulé, D. A. (2007). Distinguishing characteristics of effective and ineffective afterschool programs to prevent delinquency and victimization. Criminology and Public Policy, 6, 289–318.CrossRef

Gottfredson, D. C., Gerstenblith, S. A., Soulé, D. A., Womer, S. C., & Lu, S. (2004). Do after school programs reduce delinquency? Prevention Science, 5, 253–266.PubMedCrossRef

Gottfredson, G. D., Gottfredson, D. C., Payne, A. A., & Gottfredson, N. C. (2005). School climate predictors of school disorder: Results from the national study of delinquency prevention in schools. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 42, 412–444.CrossRef

Gottfredson, D. C., Gottfredson, G. D., & Weisman, S. A. (2001). The timing of delinquent behavior and its implications for ASPs. Criminology & Public Policy, 1, 61–80.CrossRef

Hedeker, D., & Gibbons, R. D. (2006). Longitudinal data analysis. New York: Wiley-Interscience.

Herschell, A. D., Kolko, D. J., Baumann, B. L., & Davis, A. C. (2010). The role of therapist training in the implementation of psychosocial treatments: A review and critique with recommendations. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 448–466.PubMedCrossRef

Hoagwood, K., Burns, B. J., & Weisz, J. R. (2002). A profitable conjunction: From science to service in children’s mental health. In B. Burns & K. Hoagwood (Eds.), Community treatment for youth: Evidence-based interventions for severe emotional and behavioral disorders (pp. 327–338). Oxford: New York.

Kelley, S. D., & Bickman, L. (2009). Beyond outcomes monitoring: Measurement feedback systems in child and adolescent clinical practice. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22, 363–368.PubMedCrossRef

Ladd, G. W., & Profilet, S. M. (1996). The Child Behavior Scale: A teacher-report measure of young children’s aggressive, withdrawn, and prosocial behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 32, 1008–1024.CrossRef

Larner, L.B. (Ed.). (1999). When school is out. The Future of Children, 9(2).

Lyon, A., Frazier, S. L., Mehta, T. G., Atkins, M. S., & Weisbach, J. (2011). Easier said than done: Intervention sustainability in an urban after-school program. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 38, 504–517.PubMedCrossRef

Mahoney, J. L., Lord, H., & Carryl, E. (2005). An ecological analysis of after-school program participation and the development of academic performance and motivational attributes for disadvantaged children. Child Development, 76, 811–825.PubMedCrossRef

Mahoney, J. L., Parente, M. E., & Lord, H. (2007). After-school program engagement: Links to child competence and program quality and content. The Elementary School Journal, 4, 385–404.CrossRef

Mahoney, J. L., Parente, M. E., & Zigler, E. F. (2010). After-school program participation and children’s development. In J. Meece & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Handbook of research on schools, schooling, and human development (pp. 379–397). New York, NY: Routledge.

Mahoney, J. L., Stattin, H., & Magnusson, D. (2000). Youth recreation centre participation and criminal offending: A 20-year longitudinal study of Swedish boys. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24, 1–12.CrossRef

Mahoney, J. L., Vandell, D. L., Simpkins, S. D., & Zarrett, N. R. (2009). Adolescent out-of-school activities. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 228–267). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Marshall, N. L., Coll, C. G., Marx, F., McCartney, K., Keefe, N., & Ruh, J. (1997). After-school time and children’s behavioral adjustment. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 43, 497–514.

National Institute of Mental Health. (1999). Bridging science and service: A report by the National Advisory Mental Health Council’s Clinical Treatment and Services Research Workgroup. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Pelham, W. E., Burrows-MacLean, L., Gnagy, E. M., Fabiano, G. A., Coles, E. K., Tresco, K. E., et al. (2005). Transdermal methylphenidate, behavioral, and combined treatment for children with ADHD. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 13, 111–126.PubMedCrossRef

Pelham, W. E., Gnagy, E. M., Greiner, A. R., Hoza, B., Hinshaw, S. P., Swanson, J. M., et al. (2000). Behavioral vs. behavioral and pharmacological treatment in ADHD children attending a summer treatment program. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28, 507–525.PubMedCrossRef

Pelham, W. E., Greiner, A., & Gnagy, E. M. (1997). Children’s summer treatment program manual. Buffalo, NY: Comprehensive Treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder.

Pierce, K. M., Bolt, D. M., & Vandell, D. L. (2010). Specific features of after-school program quality: Associations with children’s functioning in middle childhood. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 381–393.PubMedCrossRef

Pierce, K. M., Hamm, J. V., & Vandell, D. L. (1999). Experiences in after-school programs and children’s adjustment in first-grade classrooms. Child Development, 70, 756–767.PubMedCrossRef

Posner, J. K., & Vandell, D. L. (1994). Low-income children’s after-school care: Are there beneficial effects of after-school programs? Child Development, 65, 440–456.PubMedCrossRef

Riggs, N. R., Bohnert, A. M., & Guzman, M. D. (2010). Examining the potential of community-based after-school programs for Latino youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 417–429.PubMedCrossRef

Riggs, N. R., & Greenberg, M. T. (2004). After-school youth development programs: A developmental-ecological model of current research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 7, 177–190.PubMedCrossRef

Ringeisen, H., Henderson, K., & Hoagwood, K. (2003). Context matters: Schools and the “research to practice gap” in children’s mental health. School Psychology Review, 32, 153–168.

Roffman, J. G., Pagano, M. E., & Hirsch, B. J. (2001). Youth functioning and experiences in inner-city after-school programs among age, gender, and race groups. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10, 85–100.PubMedCrossRef

Rosenthal, R., & Vandell, D. L. (1996). Quality of care at school-aged child-care programs: Regulatable features, observed experiences, child perspectives and parent perspectives. Child Development, 67, 2434–2445.PubMedCrossRef

Rubenstein, M., Patrikakou, E., Weissberg, R., & Armstrong, M. (2000). Enhancing school-family partnerships: A teacher’s guide. Chicago: University of Illinois at Chicago, Dept of Psychology.

Rubin, D. B. (1976). Inference and missing data. Biometrika, 63, 581–592.CrossRef

Sheldon, J., Arbreton, A., Hopkins, L., & Baldwin Grossman, J. (2010). Investing in success: Key strategies for building quality in after-school programs. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 394–404.PubMedCrossRef

Shernoff, D. J. (2010). Engagement in after-school programs as a predictor of social competence and academic performance. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 325–337.PubMedCrossRef

Shernoff, D. J., & Vandell, D. L. (2007). Engagement in after-school program activities: quality of experience from the perspective of participants. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 891–903.CrossRef

Shumway, M., & Sentell, T. (2004). An examination of leading mental health journals for evidence to inform evidence-based practice. Psychiatric Services, 55, 649–653.PubMedCrossRef

Smith, C., Peck, S. C., Denault, A. S., Blazevski, J., & Akiva, T. (2010). Quality at the point of service: Profiles of practice in after-school settings. American Journal of Community Psychology, 45, 358–369.PubMedCrossRef

Snyder, H. N., & Sickmund, M. (1999). Juvenile offenders and victims: 1999 national report. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Strein, W., Hoagwood, K., & Cohn, A. (2003). School psychology: A public health perspective I. Prevention, populations, and, systems change. Journal of School Psychology, 41, 23–38.CrossRef

Tashman, N. A., Weist, M. D., Acosta, O., Bickham, N. L., Grady, M., Nabors, L., et al. (2000). Toward the integration of prevention research and expanded school mental health programs. Children’s Services: Social Policy, Research, & Practice, 3, 97–115.

U.S. Department of Justice. (2003). Youth victimization: Prevalence and implications. Washington, DC: Author.

Vandell, D. L. (2005). Program staff student report. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Retrieved September 21, 2006, from http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/childcare/pdf/pp/program_staff_student_report_spring2005.pdf.

Vandell, D. L. (2005). Study of promising after-school programs: Observation manual for site verification visits. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Retrieved September 21, 2006, from http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/.

Vandell, D. L., Shernoff, D. J., Pierce, K. M., Bolt, D. M., Dadisman, K., & Bradford Brown, B. (2005). Activities, engagement, and emotion in after-school programs (and elsewhere). New Directions for Youth Development, 105, 121–129.PubMedCrossRef

Vandell, D. L., Shumow, L., & Posner, J. K. (1997). Children’s after-school programs: Promoting resiliency or vulnerability? In H. I. McCubbin, A. I. Thompson, J. Futrell, & L. D. McCubbin (Eds.), Promoting resiliency in families and children at risk: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 1–35). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Weisman, S. A., Womer, S. C., Kellstrom M. A., Bryner, S. L., Kahler, A., Slocum, L., & Gottfredson, D. C. (2002). Maryland after school community grant program. Report on the 2001–2002 school year evaluation of the phase 3 after school programs. (Technical report available from the authors).

Weisz, J. R., Doss, A. J., & Hawley, K. M. (2005). Youth psychotherapy outcome research: A review and critique of the evidence base. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 337–363.PubMedCrossRef

Weisz, J. R., Weiss, B., & Donenberg, G. R. (1992). The lab versus the clinic: Effects of child and adolescent psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 47, 1578–1585.PubMedCrossRef

Title: Not Just a Walk in the Park: Efficacy to Effectiveness for After School Programs in Communities of Concentrated Urban Poverty
Authors: Stacy L. Frazier
Tara G. Mehta
Marc S. Atkins
Kwan Hur
Dana Rusch
Publication date: 01-09-2013
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research / Issue 5/2013
Print ISSN: 0894-587X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3289
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-012-0432-x

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Not Just a Walk in the Park: Efficacy to Effectiveness for After School Programs in Communities of Concentrated Urban Poverty

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 5/2013

The Impact of the San Diego Wildfires on a General Mental Health Population Residing in Evacuation Areas

African American Families’ Expectations and Intentions for Mental Health Services

Inequalities in the Utilization of Psychiatric and Psychological Services in Catalonia: A Multilevel Approach

Public Stigma of Mental Illness in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review

Agreement Between Chart Diagnoses and Standardized Instrument Ratings of Youth Psychopathology

Implementation Past, Present, … and Future?