Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Title

Integrating protective factors and targeted universalism to engage diverse families in a community wide child-maltreatment prevention program

Department

Psychology Department

College

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Date Range

2013-2014

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Integrating protective factors and targeted universalism to engage diverse families in a community wide child-maltreatment prevention program Gwenden Dueker, Jing Chen, Candace Cowling and Bryana Hopkins This study examines family engagement in a community based child-maltreatment prevention program. Firmly grounded in the idea of targeted universalism (e.g., Powell, 2012; Skocpo, 1991) and applying the protective factors framework (e.g., Masten & Garmezy, 1985), this free program uses developmental screenings to identify possible issues early while creating an opportunity to provide parents with child development knowledge and concrete social supports. All county residents with children under age five are offered the opportunity to complete Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) at regular intervals. Parents receive results and newsletters containing developmental information (e.g., age-appropriate activities suggestions) and community resources. If a potential delay is identified, follow-up occurs. Study 1 is a quantitative assessment of relations between demographic factors and level of program engagement. Study 2 is a qualitative analysis of interviews with families showing high participation despite having demographic characteristics associated with low engagement in Study 1. Study 1: Engagement was defined as the number of developmental screenings submitted by a family. Between January 2006-May 2012, 3,177 families submitted at least one ASQ (M=5.5, sd=5.0) and complete demographic information (see Table 1). A negative binomial regression model was estimated to examine the relationship between engagement level and Family (income, size), Child (race, sex), and Maternal (education level, language) demographic factors. Families with higher income (Ç2(1)=36.1, p

Conference Name

Strengthening Connections Among Child and Family Research, Policy and Practice

Conference Location

Alexandria, VA

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