Session: Secondary Analysis of NSCAW: Effects of Social Supports, Special Caregiver Needs and Family Structure on the Well-being of Children Receivng In-home Child Welfare Services


Friday, 14 January 2005: 8:00 AM-9:45 AM
Hibiscus B (Hyatt Regency Miami)
Secondary Analysis of NSCAW: Effects of Social Supports, Special Caregiver Needs and Family Structure on the Well-being of Children Receivng In-home Child Welfare Services

Organizer:	Lynn Videka, School of Social Welfare-University at Albany
		The Relationship Between Ethnicity and Social Support: Does it Make a Difference in Child Welfare Outcomes? Jessica Strolin, MSW, Ona Belser, MA, Julie Magnano, MSW, Michael Marks, MPA
		The Impact of Home & Community-Based Services on Children's Behavioral and Mental Health Outcomes Among Mothers with Substance Abuse and/or Depressive Disorders Pamela Clarkson Freeman, MSW, Bonnie Kenaley, RN, CSW, Irene T. Manfredo, MSW, Anna L. Zendell, MSW
		Relationships Between Social Supports and Pro-Social Behavior: A Child's Perspective Jacqueline Richardson-Melecio, MSW, Hae Sung Kim, MS, Sal Cesare, Linda McGlynn
		The Impact of Parents' Marital Structure, Status and Stability on Children's Well-Being Catherine K. Lawrence, PhD, CSW, Sarah Wright, MSW, LICSW
		Advanced Seminar in Children’s Services Research: Teaching Advanced Research Skills to Doctoral Students Lynn Videka, Brenda Smith, Eunju Lee, PhD, Elliott G. Smith, PhD
Format:	Symposium
Abstract Text: The National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) is the first nationally representative study of children in the child welfare system. The availability of NSCAW in the public domain presents an unprecedented opportunity to study child welfare issues and provides an excellent laboratory for doctoral students to learn advanced skills in research. This symposium includes 4 papers that investigate predictors of child wellbeing and child welfare outcomes. A fifth paper presents the course approach and discusses resource requirements and issues in mounting this type of seminar. A discussant from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect discusses support for student and faculty access to the data. The first paper explores the interacting effects of caregiver social support and race on child welfare outcomes, using social isolation and ecological theories. Findings show significant differences in use of social supports among different racial groups, but that the presence of social supports reduces the likelihood of out of home placement only for white families. Implications for the “communities of responsibility” approach in child welfare are discussed. The second paper studies the effects of maternal services on child mental health changes among mothers identified as having diagnosable depression or substance abuse disorders. Instrumental service provision resulted in negative change in children’s mental health over time, but children whose mothers received emotional support services evidenced positive change. Matching services to mental health or substance abuse needs had no effects. Results show family services do not provide uniform benefits over time to children. The third paper explores effects of pre and early adolescent’s social supports on their pro-social behaviors. Regression analyses show moderate associations between positive caregiver relationships, loneliness in peer relationships and maladaptive youth behaviors. Caregiver relationship effects were present even when the youth was in foster care. Findings suggest that child-caregiver relationships should be a primary focus of services for any child reported to the child welfare system. The fourth paper addresses the Bush’s family policies by exploring effects of family structure on the likelihood of out of home placement for children who live with at least one biological parent. Findings show that children in two parent families are placed out of the home at lower rates that children living with a solo parent. Furthermore, any change in marital status, including new marriages, is associated with greater risk for child placement. Implications include the need to provide extra familial support to single parent families and to view any marital status change as a potential risk for placement. The final paper describes the pedagogical approach of the year-long seminar in which the students conducted their research. Authors describe the course objectives, the approach to teaching data management and data analysis techniques. Issues identified include human subjects concerns in using NSCAW, statistical consultation and advanced statistical techniques including use of complex probability sample weights, advanced nonlinear modeling techniques such as Poisson regression to manage non-normally distributed data, and enhancing student interest to pursue dissertations using NSCAW.

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