A Trial of Connecting to Promote Foster Teen Well-Being

A Trial of Connecting to Prevent Drug Abuse and Risky Behavior in Foster Teens

This study evaluates the efficacy of a self-directed parenting program called Connecting in reducing risk of substance use and other risky behaviors in young foster teens (ages 11-15). Half of the participants will receive services as usual from the foster system, while half will participate in the Connecting program. Connecting is a 10-week, self-directed parenting workbook with two digital video discs (DVDs). Families receive weekly telephone support as they complete the program.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Relationship, Family (Foster); Substance Use Prevention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Connecting

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 220
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Washington
    • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98115
      • The Social Development Research Group, University of Washington

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 11 years to 15 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Foster youth ages 11-15 years
• In current placement 60+ days
• In relative/suitable adult care, in licensed relative/suitable adult care, in licensed foster care, in dependency guardianship
• Caregiver and teen speak English well enough to use the program manual and respond to survey questions

Exclusion Criteria:

• The teen has regularly used drugs or alcohol in the last 30 days
• The teen has been involved in the criminal justice system
• The placement is not viewed as stable
• The caregiver is not committed to a long-term placement
• The teen will not likely be in the placement for at least 6 months
• Group home placements and behavioral rehabilitative services placements

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Program group; This group receives the Connecting program with telephone support. It's anticipated the program will take up to 14 weeks to complete.	Behavioral: Connecting; Connecting was adapted for use within the child welfare system from the Staying Connected With Your Teen program that has been demonstrated to prevent substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and violence during adolescence.; Other Names: Staying Connected With Your Teen
No Intervention: Comparison group; This group receives Children's Administration services as usual.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Delay in drug use initiation	Monitoring the Future (Johnston et al., 2002). Communities that Care Youth Survey (CTC) (Hawkins & Catalano, 2004).	2 year follow up
Substance use frequency	Monitoring the Future (Johnston et al., 2002). Communities that Care Youth Survey (Hawkins & Catalano, 2004).	2 year follow up
Non-violent delinquent behavior frequency	Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) (Hawkins et al., 1999). Raising Healthy Children (Catalano et al., 2005).	2 year follow up
Violent delinquent behavior frequency	Seattle Social Development Project (Hawkins et al., 1999).	2 year follow up
Delay in initiation of sexual activity	National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (Center for Human Research, 2003). Sexual Risk and Behavior Attitudes and Self Efficacy Scale (Basen Enquist et al., 1996). Communities that Care Youth Survey (Hawkins & Catalano, 2004).	2 year follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Residential placement stability	Child Welfare Administrative Data	2 year follow up
Growth in caregiver/youth bonding	Communities that Care Youth Survey (Hawkins & Catalano, 2004). Armsden & Greenberg (1987).	1 and 2 year follow up
Youth attitudes about HIV related risks	Sexual Risk and Behavior Attitudes and Self Efficacy Scale (Basen Enquist et al.,1996)	1 and 2 year follow up
Youth attitudes favorable toward substance use	Communities that Care Youth Survey (Hawkins & Catalano, 2004)	1 and 2 year follow up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Opportunities for prosocial involvement in the family	Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Shelton et al., 1999)	1 and 2 year follow up
Problem solving skills (youth)	Raising Healthy Children (Catalano et al., 2005)	1 and 2 year follow up
Refusal skills (youth)	Seattle Social Development Project (1999)	1 and 2 year follow up
Children's coping	University of Washington Parenting Clinic (2001)	1 and 2 year follow up
Rewards and recognition in the family scale	Raising Healthy Children (Catalano et al., 2005)	1 and 2 year follow up
Change in family guidelines	Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (1999)	1 and 2 year follow up
Change in caregiver monitoring	Parental Monitoring; Kerr and Stattin (2000). Raising Healthy Children monitoring scale (Catalano et al., 2005).	1 and 2 year follow up
Change in inconsistent discipline and consequences	Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Shelton et al., 1999)	1 and 2 year follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Washington
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence; Washington state Department of Social and Health Services, Children's Administration

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Haggerty KP, Barkan SE, Skinner M, Ben Packard W, Cole JJ. Feasibility of Connecting, a Substance-Abuse Prevention Program for Foster Teens and their Caregivers. J Soc Social Work Res. 2016 Winter;7(4):639-659. doi: 10.1086/686986. Epub 2016 Oct 18.
• Barkan SE, Salazar AM, Estep K, Mattos LM, Eichenlaub C, Haggerty KP. Adapting an evidence based parenting program for child welfare involved teens and their caregivers. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2014 Jun;41:53-61. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.006.
• Storer HL, Barkan SE, Stenhouse LL, Eichenlaub C, Mallillin A, Haggerty KP. In search of connection: The foster youth and caregiver relationship. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2014 Jul;42:110-117. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.04.008.
• Storer HL, Barkan SE, Sherman EL, Haggerty KP, Mattos LM. Promoting Relationship Building and Connection: Adapting an Evidence-Based Parenting Program for Families Involved in the Child Welfare System. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2012 Sep 1;34(9):10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.05.017. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.05.017.
• Salazar AM, McCowan KJ, Cole JJ, Skinner ML, Noell BR, Colito JM, Haggerty KP, Barkan SE. Developing Relationship-Building Tools for Foster Families Caring for Teens who are LGBTQ2S. Child Welfare. 2018;96(2):75-97.
• Haggerty KP, Barkan SE, Caouette JD, Skinner ML, Hanson KG. Two-Year Risk Behavior Outcomes from Connecting, a Prevention Program for Caregivers and Youth in Foster Care. Prev Sci. 2022 Jul 4:1-12. doi: 10.1007/s11121-022-01390-4. Online ahead of print.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 31, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): October 31, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 27, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 16, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): May 17, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 31, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2019
• Last Verified: July 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Foster Families
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: D012912S

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No