Influence of Organizational Characteristics on Success in Implementing Process Improvement Goals in Correctional Treatment Settings.

Although research indicates that organizational characteristics substantially influence the adoption and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), there has been little empirical research on organizational factors most likely to influence successful implementation of EBPs, particularly in criminal justice settings. This study examined organizational characteristics related to the success of change teams in achieving improvements in assessment and case-planning procedures for persons leaving correctional settings and receiving community services. In this evaluation of the Organizational Process Improvement Intervention (OPII), part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJDATS) cooperative, 21 sites were randomized to an early-start or a delayed-start condition. For this analysis, data from both conditions were combined. Agencies with fewer program needs, good communication, adequate staffing levels, good supervision, positive attitude toward rehabilitation, and higher institutional capacity for change were better able to implement planned changes in assessment and case-planning procedures. Such agencies may be better candidates for implementation improvement strategies, whereas other agencies could benefit from pre-intervention efforts aimed at strengthening these characteristics before attempting to improve assessment procedures.

Development and Initial Validation of a Client-Rated MET-CBT Adherence Measure.

Traditional mechanisms for rating adherence or fidelity are labor-intensive. We developed and validated a tool to rate adherence to Motivational Enhancement Therapy-Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (MET-CBT) through anonymous client surveys. The instrument was used to survey clients in 3 methadone programs over 2 waves. Explanatory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses were used to establish construct validity for both MET and CBT. Internal consistency based on Cronbach's alpha was within adequate range (α > 0.70) for all but 2 of the subscales in one of the samples. Consensus between clients' ratings (r(wg(j)) scores) were in the range of 0.6 and higher, indicating a moderate to strong degree of agreement among clients' ratings of the same counselor. These results suggest that client surveys could be used to measure adherence to MET-CBT for quality monitoring that is more objective than counselor self-report and less resource-intensive than supervisor review of taped sessions. However, additional work is needed to develop this scale.

When goals diverge: Staff consensus and the organizational climate.

A sample of correctional officers and prison substance abuse treatment staff collected by the National Criminal Justice Treatment Practices Survey is used to provide an exploratory study of an aspect of organizational culture consisting of consensus (agreement) among prison personnel regarding their beliefs about rehabilitation in the presence of conflicting organizational goals and aspects of the organizational climate important to change. Findings show that among those staff members responding to the survey, the belief in rehabilitation scale mean score was associated with higher levels of organizational commitment, and interdepartmental coordination. However, an hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis that used an index score derived from the standard deviation for staff consensus regarding these same beliefs about rehabilitation produced a different pattern of results, showing that high levels of consensus were associated with job frustration, cynicism towards the ability of the institution to change, and lower levels of organizational commitment. The authors conclude that, although the sample may not express the beliefs of corrections officers or prison-based treatment staff at large, within the sample, consensus appeared to play a unique role in evaluating the effect of divergent goals on organizational climate as it relates to change, and warrants consideration when considering the effects of organizational climate.

Effectiveness of two methods of obtaining feedback on mental health services provided to anonymous recipients.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined alternative methods for obtaining feedback from people receiving anonymous mental health services via Project Liberty, an initiative that provided free counseling to residents of the New York City area after the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. METHODS: Counselors offered all English-speaking and Spanish-speaking adults who used Project Liberty crisis counseling services the opportunity to evaluate Project Liberty via a telephone interview (eight sites) or a brief questionnaire (four sites). RESULTS: A total of 107 service recipients provided feedback via a brief 32-item questionnaire, and 153 gave feedback via a 45-minute telephone interview. Although the overall participation rates were modest (less than 20 percent), nearly three-quarters of those who volunteered to participate in the telephone interview (for which they received $20) did so. Neither gender nor racial or ethnic group was associated with a greater likelihood of participating in one method over another. CONCLUSIONS: Responses to items on the brief questionnaire and in the telephone interview were similar, and offering multiple response methods increased participation rates. Although telephone interviews were more costly than the questionnaire to administer, they provided important additional information about ongoing symptoms and problems that individuals experienced after the attacks. The modest response rates obtained in the evaluation indicate that future evaluations of postdisaster services need to use methodstomaximizeresponse rates and provider adherence to administrative tasks that are critical to the evaluation.

The outcome of group parent training for families of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and defiant/aggressive behavior.

The effects of group parent training on parent behavior, and on the behavior of 45 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and defiant aggressive behavior, were evaluated with a pre-post design. Parent training included didactics on the features and etiology of ADHD and its relationship to defiant/aggressive behavior, as well as parenting skills that adhered to parameters established in the Behavior Management Flow Chart (BMFC). The logic that guided the construction of the program and the unique aspects in the form and content of the parent training are identified. Outcome data show that training reduced childrens' hyperactive, defiant, and aggressive behavior, improved parenting behavior, and reduced parent stress. These data are comparable to previous outcome research evaluating the efficacy of parent training with the BMFC. The advantages of programs that are efficacious in group settings are discussed.

Using staff focus groups to refine a feedback process for people who used Project Liberty.

Project Liberty provided free counseling services to those affected by the September 11th attacks. Focus groups were conducted with Project Liberty provider staff to gain feedback on their participation in the process of evaluating Project Liberty individual crisis counseling services. Focus groups provided information regarding barriers to eliciting feedback from people who used Project Liberty services that informed planning for the next phase of the evaluation. Focus groups proved to be a valuable method for collecting data from service providers across provider sites that differed geographically, culturally, ethnically, and organizationally, as well as in methods of offering services to individuals with mental health problems related to the attack on the World Trade Centers.

The relation between parental coping styles and parent-child interactions before and after treatment for children with ADHD and oppositional behavior.

This study examined the relation between parental coping styles, discipline, and child behavior before and after participating in a parent training program for parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and oppositional behavior. For mothers, use of more maladaptive and less adaptive coping styles was related to more self-reported lax and overreactive discipline, more observed coercive parenting, and more observed child misbehavior prior to parent training. No significant relations were found for mothers following parent training after controlling for pretreatment variables. For fathers, use of more maladaptive and less adaptive coping styles was related to self-reported lax discipline before and after parent training. Contrary to prediction, fathers who reported less seeking support and adaptive-focused coping showed the most improvement in their children's behavior. Most results remained significant after controlling for self-reported depression. Implications for improving parent training research and programs were discussed.