Evaluation of self-determination enhancement for adolescents in foster care

描述(由申请人提供)：每年约有24,000名适龄青年脱离寄养家庭。这些年轻人中的许多人开始了独立的成年生活，几乎没有或几乎没有来自家庭的帮助，很少有社区关系，几乎没有经济来源。相当大比例的寄养青年(约40%)患有残疾，很少有人准备好在几乎没有支助的情况下突然进入成年--这是被解放的寄养青年经常经历的情况。寄养青年退出照料的令人不安的过渡结果受到了全国的关注，1999年《寄养照料独立法》将各州为寄养青年提供独立生活服务的联邦资金增加了一倍。然而，不幸的是，还没有随机或准对照研究来评估为离开寄养家庭的青少年提供的服务的有效性。相比之下，改善残疾青年过渡成果的做法得到了很好的研究，加强自决已成为与改善成人成果有关的最公认的因素之一。为了收集关于在寄养中心对青年实施增强自我决定干预的可行性的初步数据，以及它对这群高危青年过渡结果的潜在效果，在俄勒冈州进行了一项试点研究，采用2组×3重复测量设计(题为我的生活)。最初研究的数据显示，干预组的年轻人在自决、就业率、参与过渡规划和总体生活质量方面都有所提高。鉴于这些积极的发现，本研究的目的是实施我的生活计划的全面疗效试验。与俄勒冈州国土安全部寄养护理计划合作进行的干预影响将通过随机实验纵向设计进行评估。210名年龄在16.5岁至17.5岁的青年将被分成3组，随机分配到接受典型寄养服务的对照组或参与模式关键要素的治疗组，包括指导自决技能、支持领导自己的协调机构间过渡规划会议以及与导师一起参加讲习班。结果，包括青年自决、生活质量、就业、心理健康、教育成就和独立生活，在干预前、干预结束时和干预后12个月进行评估。拟议的研究将提供关于该模式对所有离开寄养系统的青年的有效性的重要信息，提供明确的数据，说明增强的自决是否至少部分地调节了包括心理健康、教育成就、就业、独立生活和生活质量在内的各种结果领域；评估特殊教育状况、性别和种族对干预影响的缓和影响。寄养经验，如创伤和安置不稳定，将被视为协变量；也将探讨干预对这些关键寄养经验的直接影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Each year, approximately 24,000 youth age-out of foster care on their own. Many of these youth begin independent adult life with little or no help from family, few community connections and virtually no financial resources. A significant percentage of foster youth (approximately 40%) experience a disability and few are prepared for the sudden entry into adulthood-with little support-that emancipated foster youth frequently experience. The troubling transition outcomes of foster youth exiting care have received national attention and in 1999 the Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA) doubled the federal money states receive to provide foster youth with independent living services. Unfortunately however, there have been no randomized or quasi- controlled studies evaluating the effectiveness of services for youth exiting foster care. In contrast, practices for improving the transition outcomes of youth with disabilities have been well studied and self determination enhancement has surfaced as one of the most recognized factors associated with improved adult outcomes. To gather preliminary data on the feasibility of implementing a self-determination enhancement intervention with youth in foster care, and the potential efficacy it has on transition outcomes for this group of at-risk youth, a pilot study using a 2 groups X 3 repeated measures design was conducted in Oregon (entitled My Life). Data from the initial study reveal that youth in the intervention group experienced increases in self-determination, rates of employment, involvement in transition planning and overall quality of life. Given these positive findings, the purpose of the current study is to implement a full-scale efficacy trial of the My Life program. Conducted in partnership with the Oregon DHS Foster Care Program, the impact of the intervention will be being evaluated with a randomized experimental longitudinal design. Two hundred and ten youth, ages 16.5-17.5, will be enrolled in 3 waves, and randomly assigned to either a comparison group that receives typical foster care services or to a treatment group that participates in the key elements of the model, including instruction in self-determination skills, support in leading their own coordinated inter-agency transition planning meetings, and participation in workshops with mentors. Outcomes, including youth self-determination, quality of life, employment, mental health, educational achievement and independent living, are assessed pre- intervention, at the conclusion of intervention, and at 12 months post-intervention. The proposed study will provide important information on the efficacy of the model for all youth exiting the foster care system, yielding unequivocal data on whether enhanced self-determination mediates, at least partially, various outcome areas, including mental health, educational achievement, employment, independent living, and quality of life; evaluating the effect of special education status, gender, and race as moderating influences on the impact of the intervention. Foster care experiences, such as trauma and placement instability, will be considered as covariates; direct effects of the intervention on these key foster care experiences will also be explored.