After-School Programs and Children's Mental Health

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请建议调整和试点测试一种基于疗效的手动干预措施，以提高参加公共资助的市中心课后计划的儿童的心理健康福利。建议的研究与R34机制的目标一致（1.新的或适应性干预措施的开发和试点测试，以及2。适应和试点测试的有效性）对一个有计划的研究方案，研究如何心理健康咨询和支持可以加强课后计划的好处，为内城儿童的学术，社会和行为功能。尽管在课余时间面临着广泛的问题，城市社区，很少有实证研究已经审查了儿童的时间，数量和质量的程序，参与率，以及潜在的心理健康的好处程序的使用。我们建议与一个大型的，公共资助的课后计划提供商-芝加哥公园区的公园儿童计划-朝着三个研究目标。参加其中一个参与项目的1至8年级儿童（n=318）将入组本研究。首先，我们将与课后项目的工作人员合作，调整和应用一种手动的、基于效果的干预措施 （Pelham，1985），以满足他们的计划的需求，能力和限制，我们将提供培训和持续的支持。第二，我们将制定和实施一项衡量工作人员坚持干预措施的忠诚度的措施。第三，我们将使用随机效应回归模型，在三个（实验）课后地点与三个（比较）课后照常地点对儿童结果的四个领域进行干预的影响（Hoagwood等人，1996年版）：症状（儿童的外部化和内部化问题），功能（儿童的学术，社会和行为结果），环境结果（员工心理气候）和满意度（父母和员工）。这一建议回应了最近全国对课后护理的关注，以及对在内城提供精神卫生服务的替代场所的需求（斯蒂芬森，2000年;卫生部长的报告）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application proposes to adapt and pilot test an efficacy-based, manualized intervention to enhance the mental health benefits for children attending publicly funded, inner city, after-school programs. The proposed study is consistent with objectives of the R34 mechanism (1. Development and Pilot Testing of New or Adapted Interventions, and 2. Adaptation and Pilot Testing for Effectiveness) towards a planned program of research to study how mental health consultation and support can strengthen the benefits of after-school programs for inner city children's academic, social, and behavioral functioning. Despite extensive problems facing urban communities during after-school hours, few empirical studies have examined children's use of time, quantity and quality of programs available, participation rates, and the potential mental health benefits of programs. We propose to collaborate with a large, publicly funded provider of after-school programs - Chicago Park District's Park Kids program - toward three research goals. Children (n=318) in grades 1 to 8 who attend one of the participating programs will be enrolled in the study. First, we will collaborate with after-school program staff toward the adaptation and application of a manualized, efficacy-based intervention (Pelham, 1985) to meet the needs, capabilities, and constraints of their program, and we will provide training and ongoing support. Second, we will develop and implement a fidelity measure of staff adherence to the intervention. Third, we will use random-effects regression models to pilot test the impact of the intervention at three (experimental) after-school sites compared to three (comparison) after-school-as-usual sites on four domains of children's outcomes (Hoagwood et al., 1996): symptoms (children's externalizing and internalizing problems), functioning (children's academic, social, and behavioral outcomes), environmental outcomes (staff psychological climate), and satisfaction (parent and staff). This proposal responds to recent national concerns about after-school care, and the need for alternative venues for mental health service delivery in inner cities (Stephenson, 2000; Surgeon General's report).