Fostering Healthy Futures Efficacy Trial for Preadolescent Youth in Foster Care
Condition: Child Abuse
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This is a multi-county randomized controlled trial of the Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF)
      preventive intervention program (consisting of mentoring and skills groups) with 256
      maltreated preadolescent youth in out-of-home care. It is hypothesized that participation in
      the FHF program will result in better functioning in cognitive, social, and behavioral
      domains, and that these gains will result in improved mental health functioning, quality of
      life, and reductions in problem behaviors and adverse life-course outcomes.
    

Detailed description: 
      Youth with a history of maltreatment and foster care placement are at risk for a host of
      mental health, behavioral, and social problems, resulting in adverse life-course outcomes of
      great public health significance. This is a 5-year efficacy trial of the Fostering Healthy
      Futures Program (FHF), a preventive intervention designed to promote prosocial development,
      and to reduce problem behaviors for youth in foster care. FHF is an innovative,
      culturally-sensitive and multi-component intervention for 9-11-year-old children who have
      been maltreated and placed in foster care. Through a 9-month intervention that includes
      screening assessments, one-on-one mentoring, and skills groups, FHF targets cognitive, social
      and behavioral domains in order to build competencies, improve mental health functioning and
      quality of life, and reduce problem behaviors and adverse life outcomes (e.g. arrests, school
      dropout, restrictive placements). Assessments with youth, caregivers and teachers will be
      conducted at baseline (pre-randomization), post-intervention, and 1-year follow-up. Data will
      also include child welfare, educational, and juvenile justice records. A randomized
      controlled pilot trial of FHF in one county has produced program manuals for the mentoring
      and skills group components, and evidence of program feasibility, with high recruitment and
      retention rates. The FHF pilot study has demonstrated positive preliminary effects on
      putative mediators. A multi-county randomized controlled trial of the FHF program with 256
      youth will enable the investigators to: 1) examine intervention effects on both proximal and
      distal outcomes, 2) examine potential moderators of the intervention, 3) conduct mediational
      analyses to identify the mechanisms by which the program may enhance outcomes, and 4) conduct
      within-group analyses. The goal is to design more efficacious interventions, thereby reducing
      disability, morbidity, and mortality, not only for youth in foster care, but for all
      high-risk youth.
    

Intervention name(s): Assessment; Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF)
Intervention type(s): Other; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Cognitive, academic achievement, and mental health screening assessment and report.; Weekly therapeutic skill groups and mentoring over a 9-month period.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Child abuse and neglect; Out-of-home care; Mentoring; Skills groups; Assessment