Evaluating the use of assessment paradigms for preventive interventions: A review of the Triple P — Positive Parenting Program

Public interest and research literature on preventive interventions have grown exponentially in the last three decades (O'Connell, Boat, & Warner, 2009), and the accountability of preventive interventions has come to the forefront of research as stakeholders and consumers increasingly require evidence to support prevention practices (Biglan, Mrazek, Carnine, & Flay, 2003; Flay et al., 2005; Wandersman & Florin, 2003; Weissberg, Kumpfer, & Seligman, 2003). A major goal for preventive interventions is to provide evidence that observed individual and community-level outcomes are a result of the intervention (Glass et al., 2013; Gottfredson et al., 2015). However, preventive interventions require the use of unique assessment methodology to establish evidence supporting the intervention. The present paper seeks to: 1) identify measurement issues within preventive models, 2) examine the interface of theory and practice in evaluating outcomes, and 3) review the implementation of an assessment paradigm in establishing support for a leading preventive intervention.The scope of the paper is limited to preventive interventions for children at risk for psychosocial problems and child maltreatment. A selected parent training model, the Triple P — Positive Parenting Program (Triple P; Sanders, 1999) is highlighted because it has emerged as a leader in the use of a rigorous, multi-level, prevention-focused assessment methodology. This paper adds to the extant literature by providing a theoretical review of assessment within preventive interventions and reviewing the Triple P approach to implementing this methodology successfully. Future directions are discussed.     

Strategies for model‐revision in a high school genetics classroom

Recent proposals to improve science education (e.g., AAAS, 1989; Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990) have stressed the importance of providing high school students with a broad knowledge base consisting of a body of core concepts and theories. Science educators (Duschl, 1990; AAAS, 1989; Peterson & Jungck, 1988) have also argued that while concepts are an important part of any education, no student's scientific education can be considered complete without a complementary knowledge of the nature of science, including an understanding of the tentative nature of scientific knowledge and how it is constructed. In this paper we describe a science classroom in which students are given opportunities to construct and use scientific knowledge to solve realistic genetics problems, and suggest that allowing students to engage in the production of scientific knowledge can support science learning.     

An investigation of the link between gambling motives and social context of gambling in young adults

The current study examined the relationship between gambling motives and gambling in various social contexts using both retrospective and real-time assessment of gambling social context. Ninety-five young adults (79 males, 16 females; aged 19–24 years) who reported gambling at least 4 times in the past month participated. Scores on the Gambling Motives Questionnaire (GMQ; Stewart & Zack, 2008) were used as a measure of gambling motives (Enhancement, Social, Coping). Data on the social context of gambling (alone, with family, with friends, with strangers) were derived retrospectively from the Gambling Timeline Follow-Back (G-TLFB; Weinstock, Whelan, & Meyers, 2004) as well as in real time using experience sampling (ES) methods (Conner Christensen, Feldman Barrett, Bliss-Moreau, Lebo, & Kaschub, 2003). For both the G-TLFB and ES data, we conducted a series of multivariate regression analyses with the block of gambling motives predicting gambling behaviour in each social context. Across the two assessment methods, coping gambling motives positively predicted gambling alone, whereas social gambling motives negatively predicted gambling alone and positively predicted gambling with friends. These findings suggest that individuals who gamble for particular motives are more likely to do so in specific social contexts.     

Identifying a credible spokesperson for corporate social responsibility initiatives: Findings from a cross-national study

The aim of this study is to fill gaps in the literature related to perceptions of spokesperson credibility in a cross-cultural corporate social responsibility (CSR) context. After collecting data in two countries (Chile & U.S.) using two common forms of CSR disclosures (email/video), findings offer numerous insights for both theory and practice. Recent global trade literature found that employees are the best spokesperson for corporate communication messages (Beiser, 2017). Findings from the current study indicate that these perceptions are sensitive to cultural factors in a CSR context. Further, while scholars widely accept the need for transparent communication about CSR (Chaudhri & Wang, 2007), trade research indicates that organizational transparency falls short of consumer expectations (Edelman, 2016). Our research indicates that different dimensions of transparency (integrity, respect, openness) may be driving perceptions of spokesperson credibility and thus help to explain the variance in performance and perception.     

Promotive and risk factors as concurrent predictors of educational outcomes in supported transitional living: Extended care and maintenance in Ontario, Canada

We tested selected promotive and risk factors as concurrent predictors of educational attainment, educational aspirations, and participation in education, training, or employment among young people enrolled in extended care and maintenance (ECM) in Ontario, Canada. ECM is a legislatively established transitional living program that provides financial, instrumental, and emotional support to former youths in care in the province who have had their individualized plans for education, training, or work accepted by their local Children's Aid Societies. The 406 participants in the research were 18-20 years of age and included 230 females (56.7%) and 176 males (43.3%). The data were collected by the youths' child welfare workers in interviews conducted by means of the second Canadian adaptation of the Assessment and Action Record from Looking After Children (AAR-C2-2006; Flynn, Vincent, & Legault, 2009). Cross-sectional hierarchical regression and sequential logistic regression analyses showed that the youth's total number of developmental assets was the most consistent promotive factor, predicting more favorable levels of all three educational outcomes. Cognitive impairments and soft-drug use were the most consistent risk factors, each predicting lower levels of two of the three outcomes. The practice and policy implications of the findings, as well as the limitations of the research, were discussed.     

Social and emotional learning in middle school curricula: A service learning model based on positive youth development

Service learning is an instructional methodology that may benefit students' social and emotional learning (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, & Walberg, 2007). Though service learning is not a new pedagogy, there are few examples of how to successfully deliver service learning in school curriculum for middle school students (Gestsdottir, Bowers, von Eye, Napolitano, & Lerner, 2010; Mueller et al., 2011). This article discusses the theoretical basis for and practical implementation of a school-based positive youth development model that utilizes service learning to build the social and emotional skills of middle school students. First, this article presents the importance of social and emotional learning during adolescence. Next, utilizing a positive youth development framework, the possible social and emotional outcomes of service learning are outlined. Lastly, a case study of the Wyman Center's Teen Outreach Program® is presented as an example that integrates service learning, built on a positive youth development framework, into middle school curricula. Challenges of this model, future research questions and implications on practice and policy are suggested.     

Content Class as a Contextual Cue in the Cognitive Processing of Publicity Versus Advertising

Claims about the superiority of news over advertising are a cornerstone of public relations practice. Drawing on the dual processing models in social cognition (Chaiken, 1980, 1987; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986), this study defines the difference between news and advertising in terms of content class, a contextual variable that serves as a cue during cognitive processing of mediated messages. An experimental study using a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design (N = 329) manipulated content class, argument strength, and product involvement using 16 full-page prototype articles and ads for 4 products that might be found in a new college magazine. Content class interacted with product involvement to impact the amount of processing by participants (based on recall and cognitive responses measures) and with argument strength to bias message evaluations (based on valence of cognitive thoughts, believability assessments, and attitudinal—conative measures). The results provide only qualified support for claims about the superiority of news over advertising and suggest caution by public relations practitioners when promoting advantages of publicity.     

Comparing the Decision Structures of Public Relations Agencies and Clients

In this study, I use K. R. Hammond's version of social judgment theory (Hammond, Stewart, Brehmer, & Steinmann, 1975) to examine the conscious and covert judgment patterns of a group of public relations agency consultants and their clients. Respondents assessed 30 hypothetical public relations proposals that combined different mixtures of five decision factors: cost effectiveness, measurability, image support, marketing support, and feasibility. Analysis based on the lens model equation revealed that both groups emphasized bottom-line considerations over less quantifiable ones; that clients, more than agency professionals, understood how they valued the decision factors and acted on that knowledge; that the two groups' subjectively specified judgment weights showed closer agreement than their actual decisions about public relations plans; and that flawed self-understanding and inconsistent decision making, particularly among agency professionals, accounted for most disagreement in practice.     

A study of a multidimensional model of work–family conflict among Iranian employees

The majority of studies of the work–family interface have been carried out in Western societies. They also have some limitations in measuring conflict between work and family domains. This paper reports on a study of 387 male and female Iranian employees from a variety of organizations, using a six-dimensional model of work–family conflict (Carlson, Kacmar, & Williams, 2000) to assess both the nature and construct of conflict. The study used a questionnaire based on existing measures, translated from English to Persian and then back-translated to English. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) the validity and cross validity of the model on employees and across gender was assessed. The final results of the analysis support the generalizability of the six-dimensional model of work–family conflict to the Iranian employees and across gender.     

Usual care for trauma-exposed youth: Are clinician-reported therapy techniques evidence-based?

The current study examined the extent to which usual care interventions targeting childhood traumatic stress involved the application of practice elements (Chorpita, Daleiden, & Weisz, 2005) represented among the evidenced-based treatments (EBTs) for trauma. Youth age and the presence of conduct problems at intake were examined as potential predictors of differences in the presence of elements from EBTs. Data were obtained from archival records from 814 youth who received services from a large, community-based mental health system. Results showed that usual care clinicians reported a variety of practices, only some of which were common to the evidence base for traumatic stress. ‘Exposure’ stood out as the most common practice element among EBTs for treating traumatic stress, but it was reported in fewer than a quarter of usual care cases. For youth receiving out-of-home services, a diagnosis of PTSD predicted that fewer practice elements from EBTs for trauma were reported. Also, as youth age increased, clinicians reported using more practice elements from the evidence base. These findings point to possible opportunities for service improvement in usual care settings for trauma-exposed youth and at the same time call into question whether aspects of the context or population warrant increased use of techniques not associated with EBTs for traumatic stress (cf. Brookman-Frazee, Haine, Baker-Ericzén, Zoffness, & Garland, 2010; Southam-Gerow, Chorpita, Miller, & Gleacher, 2008).     

Reviewing the ‘march to standards’ in public relations: a comparative analysis of four seminal measurement and evaluation initiatives

To many, development and adoption of professional standards for measurement and evaluation (M&E) is one of the most promising approaches for advancing public relations practice. In recent years, there has been a surge in efforts to develop standards for M&E in different parts of the world. Prominent examples of this include standard terminologies, metrics, principles for best practice in the field, and evaluation frameworks. Regardless of their alleged importance, however, the acceptance and application of such M&E standards in the practice varies significantly. To better understand the process by which standards in this field are developed and adopted, this article draws on recent concepts from organization studies (cf. Slager, Gond, & Moon, 2012) to analyze the trajectories of four seminal standards attempts: The Barcelona Principles and the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework on an international level, the DPRG/ICV Framework used in German-speaking countries, and the GCS Framework in the United Kingdom. The article reveals, by way of an interpretive qualitative approach, the various strategies undertaken to a) develop common sets of terms and rules, b) engage relevant actors in the design, promotion, and implementation of proposed standards, and c) to reinforcing standards symbolically.     

Private child welfare agency managers' perceptions of the effectiveness of different performance management strategies

In all states, public and private child welfare agencies partner in an effort to deliver effective and accountable services to children and families (Collins-Camargo, Ensign, & Flaherty, 2008). While anecdotal information suggests that managers in competitive markets have incentives to carefully select and implement performance management strategies (McBeath, Briggs, & Aisenberg, 2009; Smith, 2010), little is known about the effectiveness of these strategies. This paper explores managerial perceptions regarding the usefulness of three techniques for performance management: supervisory review within the human resources model; priority review within internal processes; and outcomes management within the rational goal model. Managerial perceptions of the effectiveness of these efforts are examined in relation to organizational characteristics, capacity, and interagency competition.     

Fostering success: Understanding the experience of foster youth undergraduates

Although foster youth aspire to complete college, studies suggest that less than 10% are successful in obtaining a bachelor's degree (McMillen, Auslander, Elze, White, & Thompson, 2003; Rios & Rocco, 2014; Wolanin, 2005). The low graduation rates suggest that these students face unique obstacles in attaining their educational goals. To date, there is little information about the particular challenges they face. To address this gap, this paper presents survey findings of undergraduates enrolled at a public university and engaged in a campus support program for foster care alumni. Results show that these students are hesitant to disclose their foster youth identity, need help securing stable housing and suffer from food insecurity. Campus support programs and services help students feel a sense of belonging and safety on campus. Findings can aid policy makers and student affairs staff in refining current support systems for foster youth to increase enrollment and rate of graduation.     

A secret vice: a study of private language and imaginary kingdoms in childhood and adolescence

Children and adolescents often make up languages of their own and some belong to secret societies. This is a creative endeavor similar to the other expressive arts and may reveal a secret inner life in the child and a special gift expressed in forms of language. This is discussed as an issue in the childhood of several artists and in its implications for treatment.Ms Gerber is a Senior Caseworker, Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services and a Doctoral Candidate & Adjunct Lecturer at New York University School of Social Work and in private practice.This paper was presented in a somewhat different form for the International Conference on Fantasy in the Arts held in Beaumont, Texas, March 1985.     

Toward the Establishment of General Dimensions Underlying the Listening Process

Findings from previous research (Coakley, Halone, & Wolvin, 1996; Halone, Wolvin, & Coakley, 1997; Wolvin, Coakley, & Halone, 1995) indicate that the listening process may be conceptualized primarily in (a) cognitive, (b) affective, (c) behavioral/verbal, (d) behavioral/nonverbal, and (e) behavioral/interactive terms. This report seeks to quantitatively confirm these qualitatively-derived findings. Specifically, this study sought to analyze whether each respective dimension could be generally characteristic of the listening process. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, providing support for each respective dimension. Results from this study have implications for how communication scholars should conceive of the listening process in theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical terms.     

‘Stuck In The Middle With You’: Towards Enabling Social Work with Disabled People

This article explores progress to date in embedding enabling social work understandings and practices with disabled people by reviewing the UK social work curriculum. Based on these observations and the ideas from UK disability studies, it will offer possible solutions or at least better pathways to enabling practice with disabled people. As Meekosha has pointed out in a global context, to date social work has been experienced as an ambivalent practice [Meekosha, H. & Dowse, L. (2007) ‘Integrating critical disability studies into social work education and practice: an Australian perspective’, Practice, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 59–72], often both enabling and disabling; an intervention that can both lock and unlock resources, and challenge and reaffirm traditional notions of the ‘disability problem’ [Finkelstein, V. (1993) ‘Disability: A Social Challenge or an Administrative Responsibility?’, in Disabiling Barriers ‐ Enabling Environments, eds J. Swain, V. Finkelstein, S. French and M. Oliver, Sage Publications in association with the Open University, London]. Social work also has the potential to both challenge, but also be an (inadvertent) apologist for contemporary social support and welfare systems. Indeed it is clear that social work as a profession and social care as a policy area have been the poor relations of healthcare and health professions [King's Fund (2011) Social Care Funding and the NHS: An Impending Crisis?, King's Fund, London]. Viewed anthropologically, social work remains a largely non-disabled workforce ‘ministering’ to disabled clients (BCODP, 1997). This might reinforce the perception of ‘us and them’ in some social work encounters. As Paul Longmore questioned, can we begin to go ‘beyond affliction’ (2003) in our work with disabled people? Can social work help support the collective struggles of disabled people or is their role inevitably to reinforce that of individual(ised) clients?

The development of the personalisation agenda and self-directed support is clearly welcome in this context [DoH (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services, Department of Health, London; DoH (2007) Independence, Choice and Risk: A Guide to Best Practice in Supported Decision-Making, Department of Health, London; DoH (2009) Personalisation of Social Care Services, Department of Health, London]. Such developments reflect the changing service user–professional relationship. The temptation to see these developments as the icing on the social support cake needs, however, to be resisted. Arguably, with the increased rationing of social support, the continued role of social workers in assessment and monitoring of support could be seen to require a yet more reflexive and enabling professional education and training in an age of austerity, one where previously supported disabled people are being told that their needs can no longer be met.     

The Development of a Reliable Change Index and Cutoff for the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale

The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS; Busby, Crane, Larson, & Christensen, 1995) is a measure of couple relationship adjustment that is often used to differentiate between distressed and non‐distressed couples. While the measure currently allows for a determination of whether group mean scores change significantly across administrations, it lacks the ability to determine whether an individual's change in dyadic adjustment is clinically significant. This study addresses this limitation by establishing a cutoff of 47.31 and reliable change index of 11.58 for the RDAS by pooling data across multiple community and clinical samples. An individual whose score on the RDAS moves across the cutoff changes by 12 or more points can be classified as experiencing clinically significant change.     

Inequality convergence in a panel of states

This paper empirically tests for convergence in income inequality using a large panel of annual data for 48 states in the U.S. during the 1916–2005 period. By implementing the novel OLS estimator introduced by Bao and Dhongde (Oxf Bull Econ Stat 71:295–302, 2009), we find overwhelming evidence in support of convergence in income distribution. The results are robust to the uses of alternative inequality indicators, regions, and time periods.