Summery: This study examined the development of 74 adolescents (13 to 17 years old, 62% boys) after their placement in the non-residential alternative educational facility School2Care, including... Show moreSummery: This study examined the development of 74 adolescents (13 to 17 years old, 62% boys) after their placement in the non-residential alternative educational facility School2Care, including the prevention of secure residential placement. Findings: Results showed that 70% of the adolescents were not placed in a secure residential facility up until six months after leaving the educational facility. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies and feelings of empower-ment showed positive changes and parent-reported externalizing problems decreased. No improvements were found in adolescents' future-time perspective, family functioning and parenting stress. Differences in family functioning, treatment motivation and teacher-reported therapeutic alliances predicted secure residential placement. Applications: Findings of this study provide some preliminary evidence that School2Care can possibly contribute to positive outcomes, which should be tested in (quasi-)experimental research, but also show that further improvement of the intervention may be required. Show less
Background Levels of aggression are high in residential settings for juveniles with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID). As a result, treatment is less effective, aggression causes injury, traumatic... Show moreBackground Levels of aggression are high in residential settings for juveniles with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID). As a result, treatment is less effective, aggression causes injury, traumatic experiences and longer inhabitation for juveniles. Additionally, inpatient aggression has been linked to burnout and stress among group workers, which has negative consequences such as less job satisfaction or poorer work performance Objective Therefore, it is crucial to diminish aggressive incidents in these settings and to find a way for staff how to respond to aggression properly. Methods As there is no intervention method which tackles all of the referred problems efficiently, a new method Non-violent Resistance for MID was introduced into three residential settings for juveniles with MID, in a quasi-experimental stepped wedge design. Reports of aggressive incidents were assessed seven times before, during and after the training in NVR-MID on group level. Multilevel analyses were carried out in order to assess the development of the aggressive incidents over time. Results Aggressive incidents decreased significantly in time during and after training in NVR-MID, this decrease is seen in all three institutions. Thus, regardless of resident's age, gender or IQ, NVR-MID seemed successful in diminishing aggressive incidents. Furthermore, a significant interaction effect was found between institution and time, indicating that regardless if incidents of aggression were relatively high at baseline, decrease in incidents was similar to institutions where incidents were relatively low on baseline. Conclusions Implementing NVR-MID into residential settings for juveniles with MID and comorbid behavioral problems might help to decrease aggressive incidents. Show less
Gink, K. van; Vermeiren, R.; Goddard, N.; Domburgh, L. van; Stegen, B. van der; Twisk, J.; ... ; Jansen, L. 2018
The World Health Organization recently estimated that in Europe alone 117 million children suffer from maltreatment or other adverse childhood experiences. Some of these children need to be... Show moreThe World Health Organization recently estimated that in Europe alone 117 million children suffer from maltreatment or other adverse childhood experiences. Some of these children need to be placed in (24-h) settings for out-of-home care, such as foster care, family-style group care, and residential care. However, children do not always benefit from these services, as suggested by the substantial numbers of children repeatedly experiencing placement breakdowns. Aim of this research is to increase the effectivity and efficiency of out-of-home care services. For this purpose, typical baseline child and family characteristics of out-of-home placed children were linked to children’s development in the various 24-h settings. This knowledge both can provide building blocks for the development of sound decision-making strategies for referral to a certain type of out-of-home care and provide insight into which child and family factors need additional treatment during placement. Together, this increases the likelihood that children for whom (temporary) out-of-home placement is inevitable will receive optimal services with regard to their developmental needs. The research findings have been translated into three fundamental steps to transform the current stepped-care method for allocation decisions into a collaborative, effective, and matched-care model for allocation. Show less
Gink, K. van; Visser, K.; Popma, A.; Vermeiren, R.R.J.M.; Domburgh, L. van; Stegen, B. van der; Jansen, L.M.C. 2018
Similarities and differences in the (short-term) psychosocial development of children in foster care, family-style group care, and residential care were investigated in a sample of 121 Dutch... Show moreSimilarities and differences in the (short-term) psychosocial development of children in foster care, family-style group care, and residential care were investigated in a sample of 121 Dutch children (M age = 8.78 years; SD = 2.34 years; 47% female; 59% Caucasian) one year after their initial placement. Pretest and posttest measurements were carried out at the substitute caregivers using the CBCL. The results were examined at group level and case level. At group level, the findings showed no evidence for higher effectiveness in favor to the family-oriented settings (foster care, and family-style group care), as hypothesized. By contrast, some small differences were found between foster care and family-style group care, in favor of the latter. At individual level, a more or less equal number of children (18%) with a clinical pretest score on psychosocial functioning clinically significant improved (behavioral normalization). An important concern is that a number of children without clinical psychosocial problems at the time of admission clinically significant deteriorated (behavioral aberration) in psychosocial functioning (20%). This might indicate a poor match between the risks, needs and responsivity of the child on the one hand and the chosen intervention on the other. Future research on factors that (prior and during placement) positively as well as negatively affect the child’s psychosocial development is needed to further clarify this finding. Show less
Background: In Europe, the number of females exhibiting oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) is growing. Many of these females live in youth welfare institutions.... Show moreBackground: In Europe, the number of females exhibiting oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) is growing. Many of these females live in youth welfare institutions. Consequently, there is a great need for evidence-based interventions within youth welfare settings. A recently developed approach targeting the specific needs of girls with ODD and CD in residential care is START NOW. The aim of this group-based behavioural skills training programme is to specifically enhance emotional regulation capacities to enable females with CD or ODD to appropriately deal with daily-life demands. It is intended to enhance psychosocial adjustment and well-being as well as reduce oppositional and aggressive behaviour. We present the study protocol (version 4.1; 10 February 2016) of the FemNAT-CD intervention trial titled 'Group-Based Treatment of Adolescent Female Conduct Disorders: The Central Role of Emotion Regulation'. Methods/design: The study is a prospective, confirmatory, cluster-randomised, parallel-group, multi-centre, randomised controlled trial with 128 institutionalised female adolescents who fulfil the diagnostic criteria of ODD and/or CD. Institutions/wards will be randomised either to provide the 12-week skills training as an add-on intervention or to provide treatment as usual. Once the first cycle is completed, each institution will run a second cycle with the opposite condition. Primary endpoints are the pre-post change in number of CD/ODD symptoms as assessed by a standardised, semi-structured psychiatric interview (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime, CD/ODD section) between baseline and the end of intervention, as well as between baseline and a 3-month follow-up point. Secondary objectives include pre-post change in CD/ODD-related outcome measures, most notably emotional regulation on a behavioural and neurobiological level after completion of START NOW compared with treatment as usual. Discussion: To our knowledge, this study is the first to date to systematically investigate the effectiveness of an adapted integrative psychosocial intervention designed for female adolescents with ODD and CD in youth welfare settings. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) identifier: DRKS00007524. Registered on 18 December 2015 and with the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Show less
How often does child maltreatment occur in the Netherlands and which factors increase the risk of child maltreatment? In this thesis we describe the findings of two epidemiological studies aimed at... Show moreHow often does child maltreatment occur in the Netherlands and which factors increase the risk of child maltreatment? In this thesis we describe the findings of two epidemiological studies aimed at answering these questions. First, in the Netherlands__ Prevalence study on Maltreatment of children and youth (NPM-2010) we examined the year prevalence of child maltreatment in the general Dutch population, using sentinel reports, substantiated CPS reports, and high school students__ self-report. Overall prevalence rates were 33.8 per 1,000 children based on combined sentinel and CPS reports and 99.4 per 1,000 based on self-report. Important risk factors for maltreatment were low SES, single parent families, large families, stepfamilies, and immigrant status. Second, we examined the year prevalence of child sexual and physical abuse in residential and foster care. Children without disabilities had an increased risk of sexual abuse in residential care, and an increased risk of physical abuse in both types of care compared to the general population. Children with a mild intellectual disability were at increased risk of sexual abuse in both residential and foster care compared to regular out-of-home care and compared to the general population. Findings presented in this thesis contribute to the prevention of future child maltreatment in different care settings. Show less
