Strategies for Preventing Youth Antisocial and Violent Behavior Understanding Risk and Resiliency Along A Troubled Path

1. Strategies for Preventing Youth Antisocial and Violent BehaviorUnderstandingRisk and Resiliency AlongA Troubled Path Christine A. Christle Kristine Jolivette University of Kentucky 2002

2. Eddie’s Case

3. Eddie’s Case • Eddie’s mother was 16 and unmarried • She dropped out of school • She never saw Eddie’s father again and he never provided any financial support

4. Adolescent Motherhood • Nearly 500,000 babies are born annually to adolescents 13-19 years of age • Sons of adolescent mothers are 2.7 times more likely to be incarcerated than sons born to mothers in their early 20's

5. Poverty • The number of extremely poor children in single-mother families jumped by 26 % from 1996 to 1997 ($6,401 a year for a three-person family) • Best predictor of behavioral deviation

6. Eddie’s Case • When Eddie started school he was delayed in reading readiness and vocabulary skills • His other deficits were in following directions and peer relationships

7. Cognitive Deficits • Low SES children enter school with as little as 40 hours of exposure to print material compared to 1000 hours for high SES children • They have lower vocabulary skills • They lack familiarity with following directions

8. fall behind academically >> difficult work >> challenging behaviors >> removal from class >> Failure Cycle • Cognitive deficits lead to poor academic performance • Poor academic performance is a strong risk factor for delinquency

9. Eddie’s Case • Eddie’s school record showed poor academic performance overall and high rates of office referrals and suspensions • By Middle School Eddie was involved with a deviant peer group, was often truant, and had been arrested for burglary • At 16 he dropped out of school

10. Poor School Connectedness • From 1989 to 1998 truancy cases increased in juvenile court by 85% • Truancy has been linked to youth delinquency • From 1974 to 1998 suspension/expulsion rates went from 3.7% to 6.8%

11. School Drop Out • Truant and/or suspended youth are far more likely to drop out and become delinquent • 82% of prison inmates are high school dropouts • 17 % of arrests in the U.S. in 2000 were persons under 18 years of age

12. Eddie’s Case • In the year after Eddie dropped out he had been arrested for RECKLESS DRIVING, LARCENY, ROBBERY, and VIOLENT ASSAULT and BATTERY

13. The number of minors in state prisons has more than doubled in the past 12 years Youth transferred to criminal court recidivate more quickly, more often, & for more serious offenses than youth in juvenile court Eddie’s case was transferred to criminal court and he is serving a sentence in a state prison

14. A Promising Path Protective Factors • Can help promote Resiliency • Can help a person to make better choices in the presence of multiple risks • Preventive strategiesare more efficient and effective than reactive strategies

15. Eddie’s Case • At 16, pregnant and unmarried Eddie’s mother received help from the Prenatal and Infancy Home Visitation by Nurses program • She had a healthy baby, learned many good parenting skills, and learned of other resources to help her get a job and to raise her son

16. Prenatal and Infancy Home Visitation by Nurses Findings: • Improved women's prenatal health • Reduced pregnancy complications, child abuse, neglect and injuries to children, welfare dependence, substance abuse and criminal behavior on the part of mothers

17. Eddie’s Case • Since there were no positive male role models for Eddie, his mother enrolled him in the Big Brothers Program • Eddie enjoyed the relationship with his “Big Brother” who often read to him, helped him with social and academic skills, and took him cycling

18. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Findings: • Participants attended school more, got better grades, and had better relationships with their parents and peers than those who did not participate in the program

19. Eddie’s Case • Eddie’s school has a school-wide system of positive behavior support in which expectations are taught and reinforced. Errors are proactively corrected. • Eddie received individualized instruction in academics and social skills

20. Positive Behavior Support Three Levels Universal - School-wide assessment School-wide prevention Targeted - Student assessments Group interventions Intensive - Individualized-Multidisciplinary assessments &interventions

21. Universal Elements Rules • agreed upon by team - willing/able to enforce • posted, brief, positively stated Routines • avoid problem contexts, times, groupings, etc. • consistent Arrangements • clear physical boundaries • supervisionof all areas • Examples • Bully Prevention Program, PATHS

22. Targeted Elements • used when universal interventions do not apply, or are not effective • used for individual or small number of students • necessary for 3-10% of school population Example • Functional Family Therapy, small group instruction

23. Intensive Elements • planning for involvement of community resources as necessary • in-depth and continuous assessment from a variety of sources and perspectives • necessary for 1-3% of school population Example • Multisystemic Therapy

24. Eddie’s Case • In Middle School Eddie became involved in cycling • At 16 Eddie was employed part-time at a bicycle shop

25. A Promising Path • Identify and understand the relationship of risk and resiliency • Implement appropriate, empirically proven prevention strategies • Systematically • With fidelity • Extensively • With stability

26. Discussion