Empirical Support for Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC): A Critical Review

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC), initially intended as a treatment for chronic juvenile offenders (adolescents having multiple contacts with the juvenile justice system), was designed as an alternative to placement within group facilities. MTFC allows the adolescent to remain in the community while receiving individual and family-based interventions. These interventions are dedicated to decreasing risk factors associated with offending (e.g., poor parental supervision, association with delinquent peers, poor academic performance) and increasing protective factors (e.g., effective parenting practices, healthy relationships with supportive peers, increased school involvement). MTFC has been utilized to meet the needs of a variety of populations (e.g., preschoolers, adolescents, female offenders, children in typical foster care placements) and has been used to treat multiple difficulties (e.g., recidivism, drug use, and externalizing behaviors such as aggression and property destruction). Most research concerning juvenile offenders focuses on male offenders; thus, studies specifically examining the use of MTFC with female offenders are notable. Although MTFC is cited as an effective intervention, research has yielded inconsistent results regarding its effectiveness. The goal of the current study was to systematically and critically review the MTFC literature to develop hypotheses as to why some treatment studies suggest MTFC is an effective treatment for juvenile offenders while other studies find differing results. More specifically, the goal was to examine whether or not study variables (participants, intervention details, comparators, outcomes, study methodology) were associated with more positive or negative outcomes. Multiple databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Articles meeting criteria were examined and relevant information related to participants, intervention, comparators, outcomes, and study methodology was recorded. Initial database search procedures yielded over 14,000 articles. A total of 500 abstracts were revieduring the database search, 65 abstracts were reviefrom the MTFC website, 300 potentially relevant citations were identified via review articles, and 15 authors were contacted resulting in 10 additional studies being obtained for review. After full review, 12 studies were retained that represented nine data sets. Due to the nature of the results, the primary analysis was qualitative consisting of a critical examination of study variables in relation to effect sizes. Results indicated there were large inconsistencies among the variables analyzed. Due to the large variability, clear conclusions could not be drawn regarding which variables are associated with more positive or negative outcomes. The current data did not indicate MTFC works any differently with male juvenile offenders than with female juvenile offenders, potentially supporting the claim that MTFC is equally effective for males and females. Potential reasons for the large variability among studies and the larger clinical implications of the results are discussed with an emphasis on the implications for effectiveness research. Potential solutions to these difficulties are offered and directions for future research are suggested

An Examination of the Effects of the Sexual Double Standard on College Students\u27 Condom Use

Men and women have historically been held to different standards regarding sexual behavior, known as the sexual double standard. Women have typically been judged more harshly than men for engaging in similar sexual behavior. Both genders report higher levels of sexual activity and more liberal attitudes since the 1940s. Males historically report engaging in more sexual activity than females. However, current studies indicate both genders are engaging in similar levels of sexual activity, although men continue to report slightly higher levels. It is unclear whether attitudes and judgments related to gender and sexuality have kept pace with reported behavior changes. The documented increase in sexual activity for men and women has coincided with a dramatic increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Consistent condom use during all forms of sexual activity has been recommended as the most reliable method of pregnancy and STD prevention. However, many individuals report inconsistent condom use. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the potential role the sexual double standard may play in the inconsistent use of condoms in college women. Undergraduate students were asked to read one of three vignettes (male provides condom, female provides condom, no condom was used) in which a casual sexual encounter was described. After reading the vignette, participants completed adjective ratings of the vignette actors, as well as measures of attitudes toward gender and sexuality, sexual history, and demographics. Contrary to expectations, results indicated that females were judged to be more likeable when she provided the condom compared to when no condom was used and more diplomatic when she provided the condom when compared to when no condom was used or when the male provided the condom. Males were equally liked across all condom conditions, and were rated as more diplomatic when providing the condom versus when no condom was used. Unexpectedly, neither judgments of the vignette actors nor attitudes toward gender and sexuality were predictive of personal sexual history. These findings suggest that gender differences in sexual behavior may be quite small, and that standards for sexual behavior are more equal than has been previously documented

Validating Military Culture: The Factor Analysis of a Military-Related Adaptation of Acculturation

The concept of acculturation has a long history, and measures of the construct attempt to assess the degree to which attitudes and behaviors reflect the interaction between different cultures. Berry’s acculturation framework (1997) is arguably the most empirically-supported and well-known model of acculturation. Berry’s model posits that an individual may have difficulty appropriately adapting to a culture different than his or her own depending on how much they are oriented to either culture. Moreover, Searle and Ward (1990) hypothesized that an individual’s acculturation orientation, in addition to how different the dominant and non-dominant cultures are from one another, impacts psychological and sociocultural adaptation to a foreign culture

Meaning, Resilience, And Traumatic Stress Following The Gulf Oil Spill: A Study Of Mississippi Coastal Residents Seeking Mental Health Services

In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform exploded, resulting in the release of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a period of three months. In addition to the ecological and economic impact of the disaster, the spill also had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of coastal residents. Following a disaster, not all affected people experience the same level of distress or long-term, negative psychological effects. Coping mechanisms such as resilience and perceived meaning in life are essential variables in understanding how people respond to a wide range of disasters. The present study examines the relationship between resilience, perceived meaning in life, and traumatic stress symptoms among coastal residents of Mississippi directly affected by the Gulf Oil Spill. The study was conducted as part of a larger project that assessed the impact of the Gulf Oil Spill on the mental health of individuals seeking therapeutic services ( N = 1119). It was predicted that meaning and resilience would be related to each other significantly and positively and that individuals with higher levels of resilience and/or perceived meaning in life would report significantly fewer symptoms of posttraumatic stress. After controlling for the impact of the spill, it was also predicted that both resilience and meaning would be significant predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms and that adding meaning to the resilience model would make for a stronger model overall. Multiple hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine if resilience and perceived meaning are significant predictors of scores from a measure of posttraumatic stress. Meaning and resilience were found to be significantly and positive correlated. Higher levels of resilience and meaning separately were both predictive of lower levels of posttraumatic stress scores, and resilience and meaning together were predictive of posttraumatic stress after controlling for the impact of the spill. Based on the analyses, it is apparent that resilience and perceived meaning in life are similarly strong, significant predictors of fewer posttraumatic stress symptoms and these two constructs are highly correlated. Implications for these data are discussed

Investigating the Effects of Absurd Humor And Mortality Salience On Moral Identity, Belongingness, Belief in a Just World, and Meaning In Life

Background: Humans have a sense of meaning, and people actively create and maintain meaning in their lives. One way humans make meaning is through fluid compensation, which is the automatic process of compensating for a threat to one’s global meaning system by temporarily strengthening other, non-related beliefs. This phenomenon has been thoroughly investigated in response to mortality salience (i.e., reminders of one’s death), but not absurd humor. This is important because little is known about the role of humor in meaning making. More research is needed to determine whether humor is a unique meaning-making process. Further, no studies have investigated the effects of absurd humor and mortality salience on multiple aspects of the global meaning system. Finally, influential models of meaning making suggest that distress tolerance moderates meaning-making processes — but this has not been empirically verified. The present study aimed to fill these gaps in the literature by investigating the fluid compensatory effects of absurd humor and mortality salience on moral identity, belongingness, belief in a just world, and meaning in life. Results: Participants found humor in each reading condition and did not fluid compensate, suggesting that humor is a meaning-making process. Since fluid compensation was not detected, the role of distress tolerance in meaning making remains a fruitful direction for research. Discussion: The results of the current study indicate that humor is a meaning making process and bidirectional fluid compensation is theoretically possible. Research corroborating humor as a meaning-making process, the mechanism(s) by which humor works within the context of meaning making, and the clinical application of humor have important implications for people’s mental and physical health

What’s the Payoff? Parental Well-being in Relation to Attachment, Interpersonal Goals and Parenting Style

Certain relational frameworks such as attachment, interpersonal goals, and parenting styles either found their roots in or have been studied in terms of the parent-child relationship. What often happens, however, is that researchers focus on how these constructs may affect child outcomes, without studying how they may impact the parents themselves. The current study sought to apply attachment and interpersonal goals in a parenting context, examine how they relate to the helicopter parenting style, and test all three constructs as predictors of parental need satisfaction. Parents of incoming college freshmen (N = 122) completed a survey comprised of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures scale, Helicopter Parenting scale, Basic Need Satisfaction in Relationships scale, and an adapted version of the Parenting Goals Questionnaire. Results reveal a significant correlational relationship between anxious attachment and self-image goals. Multiple regression analyses reveal insecure attachment and self-image goals to be significant predictors of helicopter parenting. Attachment insecurity, self-image goals, and helicopter parenting are all significant predictors of parental need satisfaction. Implications for future parent-focused research are discussed

What\u27s the Payoff? Parental Well-being in Relation to Attachment, Interpersonal Goals and Parenting Style

Certain relational frameworks such as attachment, interpersonal goals, and parenting styles either found their roots in or have been studied in terms of the parent-child relationship. What often happens, however, is that researchers focus on how these constructs may affect child outcomes, without studying how they may impact the parents themselves. The current study sought to apply attachment and interpersonal goals in a parenting context, examine how they relate to the helicopter parenting style, and test all three constructs as predictors of parental need satisfaction. Parents of incoming college freshmen (N = 122) completed a survey comprised of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures scale, Helicopter Parenting scale, Basic Need Satisfaction in Relationships scale, and an adapted version of the Parenting Goals Questionnaire. Results reveal a significant correlational relationship between anxious attachment and self-image goals. Multiple regression analyses reveal insecure attachment and self-image goals to be significant predictors of helicopter parenting. Attachment insecurity, self-image goals, and helicopter parenting are all significant predictors of parental need satisfaction. Implications for future parent-focused research are discussed