Unpacking the parallel effects of parental alcohol misuse and low income on risk of supervisory neglect.

Although low income status and parent alcohol misuse are considered critical risk factors for child neglect, little is known about the mechanisms of this association. No known research has assessed the parallel effect of each on occurrence of child neglect. This study aimed to explore the direct and indirect effects of parent alcohol misuse and low family income on risk of supervisory neglect through mediating factors such as parent depressive symptoms and low social support. The study used a sample of 2990 parents of children under 13 years old who completed a listed telephone survey conducted in 50 mid-sized cities within California during 2009. We used a structural equation model to estimate the direct and indirect effects of parent alcohol misuse (defined as heavy drinking frequency) and low family income on supervisory neglect toward a focal child, as well as the indirect effect via parental depressive symptoms and low social support. Mediation analysis to capture direct, indirect, and total effects of these two independent variables was also conducted. Results revealed a significant direct effect of low family income on likelihood of supervisory neglect. Low income also exhibited an indirect effect via increased depressive symptoms and low social support. Annual frequency of heavy drinking showed no direct effect on supervisory neglect likelihood, but an indirect effect was observed via increased depressive symptoms and decreased social support. Parent low income and high frequency heavy drinking likely increase risks for supervisory neglect through distinct pathways. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm the pathways identified within this study.

Effect of a Parenting Intervention on Foster Care Reentry After Reunification Among Substance-Affected Families: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Although parental substance abuse has been identified as a risk factor for poor foster care outcomes, current research on effective interventions is limited. A few studies have shown that parenting interventions improved parenting skills and family functioning and decreased time to reunification among children in foster care due to parental substance abuse. However, more research is needed to evaluate whether these interventions positively impact reentry rates. Using propensity score analyses to establish a matched comparison group, survival analyses evaluated the relationship between participation in a parenting intervention, the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), and reentry among a sample of 493 children previously reunified with their parents. The overall reentry rate was 20.9%. Analyses indicated that there was no difference in reentry rates between the SFP (23.7%) and comparison groups (18.6%). Significant predictors of reentry were child behavior problems, family poverty, and reunification between 15 and 18 months from removal.

A study in contrasts: Supports and barriers to successful implementation of two evidence-based parenting interventions in child welfare.

Although evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are spreading to child welfare, research on real-world dynamics of implementation within this setting is scarce. Using a six-factor implementation framework to examine implementation of two evidence-based parenting interventions, we sought to build greater understanding of key facilitators and barriers by comparing successful versus failed EBI implementation in a child welfare setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 frontline practitioners and state-level managers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data analysis used a modified analytic approach. Our results showed the successful EBI was viewed more positively on all six factors; however, implementation was multidimensional, multilevel, and mixed with accomplishments and challenges. An accumulation of strengths across implementation factors proved beneficial. Implementation frameworks may be advantageous in organizing and explaining the numerous factors that may influence successful versus failed implementation. While encountering obstacles is largely inevitable, understanding which factors have shaped the success or failure of EBI implementations in child welfare settings may optimize future implementations in this context.

Examining the role of methamphetamine in permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption.

Parental methamphetamine use has drawn significant attention in recent years. Despite prior research that shows that parental substance abuse is a risk factor for lengthy foster care stay, little is known about the effect of specific types of substance use on permanency. This study sought to compare the impact of parental methamphetamine use to alcohol use, other drug use, and polysubstance use on the timing of 3 types of permanency: reunification, guardianship, and adoption. Using an entry cohort of 16,620 children who had entered foster care during a 5-year period, competing risks event history models were conducted for each permanency type. Findings showed that, after controlling for several case characteristics, parent illicit drug use significantly impacted the timing of the 3 types of permanency, but alcohol use did not. Methamphetamine, other drug, and polysubstance with methamphetamine use were associated with lower rates of reunification and higher rates of adoption. Guardianship was also predicted by other drug and polysubstance use without methamphetamine; however, methamphetamine use was not associated with guardianship. Notably, the methamphetamine groups comprised the youngest children and had the shortest median time to adoption. Results suggest that type of parental substance use is predictive of permanency exits and that parental illicit drug use may require tailored strategies for improving permanency outcomes. Further implications of the findings are discussed.

Co-Occurrence of Parental Substance Abuse and Child Serious Emotional Disturbance: Understanding Multiple Pathways to Improve Child and Family Outcomes.

This study is a mixed-methods examination of the prevalence and impact of parental substance abuse among families involved in foster care who have a child with a serious emotional disturbance. Data utilized for this study were both administrative and assessment data collected by case managers and parents as part of a federally funded demonstration project in a Midwestern state. At baseline, parent self-report and case manager ratings of family functioning found that parents affected by substance abuse fared worse in domains related to socioeconomics, parental trauma, parental mental health, and social supports when compared to families without parental substance abuse. Case managers and independent raters scored parents affected by substance abuse higher on effective parenting than parents not affected by substance abuse. While all children in the sample have a serious emotional disturbance, parents and case managers rated children's functioning higher among children whose families were characterized by parental substance abuse. These results suggest that, among families who have children with a serious emotional disturbance and are in foster care, those with and without substance abuse may represent two distinct service groups, each with a unique set of needs and contextual factors. For families with parental substance abuse, findings suggest that an appropriate child welfare response should attend to both children's and parent's behavioral health needs and include strategies that are well matched to the families' socioeconomic and social support needs.