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效果的、人为的干预措施，以提高参加公共资助的、内城的、课外项目的儿童的心理健康效益。拟议的研究与R34机制的目标一致(1)。开发和试点测试新的或经过调整的干预措施；适应和有效性试点测试)朝着一个有计划的研究项目，研究心理健康咨询和支持如何加强课外项目对市中心儿童的学业、社会和行为功能的好处。尽管城市社区在课后时间面临着广泛的问题，但很少有实证研究调查了儿童对时间的利用、可用项目的数量和质量、参与率以及项目潜在的心理健康益处。我们建议与一个大型的、公共资助的课后项目供应商——芝加哥公园区的公园儿童项目——合作，以实现三个研究目标。参加其中一个参与项目的1至8年级儿童（n=318）将被纳入研究。首先，我们将与课后项目的工作人员合作，以适应和应用一种手动的、基于效果的干预措施

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).