Evaluation of self-determination enhancement for adolescents in foster care

描述（由申请人提供）：每年，大约有24,000名青少年脱离寄养家庭，独自生活。这些年轻人中的许多人开始独立的成年生活时很少或根本没有家庭的帮助，很少有社区联系，几乎没有经济资源。很大比例的寄养青年（大约40%）经历了残疾，很少有人准备好突然进入成年——几乎没有支持——解放的寄养青年经常经历。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，《寄养独立法案》（FCIA）将各州接受的用于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，目前还没有随机或准对照的研究来评估青少年离开寄养服务的有效性。相比之下，改善残疾青年的过渡结果的实践已经得到了很好的研究，自我决定的增强已经成为与改善成人结果相关的最公认的因素之一。为了收集对寄养青年实施自我决定增强干预的可行性的初步数据，以及它对这组高危青年的过渡结果的潜在功效，在俄勒冈州进行了一项使用2组x3重复测量设计的试点研究（题为“我的生活”）。最初研究的数据显示，干预组的青年在自我决定、就业率、参与过渡规划和整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。该研究是与俄勒冈州国土安全部寄养计划合作进行的，干预的影响将通过随机纵向实验设计进行评估。210名年龄在16.5-17.5岁之间的青少年将分三批入组，并被随机分配到接受典型寄养服务的对照组或参与该模式关键要素的治疗组，包括自我决定技能的指导，支持他们领导自己协调的机构间过渡计划会议，以及与导师一起参加研讨会。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。拟议的研究将为该模型对所有离开寄养系统的青少年的有效性提供重要信息，并就增强的自我决定是否至少部分地调解各种结果领域（包括心理健康、教育成就、就业、独立生活和生活质量）提供明确的数据；评估特殊教育状况、性别和种族对干预效果的调节作用。寄养经历，如创伤和安置不稳定，将被视为协变量；干预对这些关键寄养经历的直接影响也将被探讨。

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.