Reducing Gang Violence: A Randomized Trial of Functional Family Therapy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2013-2016 (ICPSR 37008)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to produce knowledge about how to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs and reduce delinquency among active gang members. The study evaluated a modification of Functional Family Therapy, a model program from the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development initiative, to assess its effectiveness for reducing gang membership and delinquency in a gang-involved population.

Study Design View help for Study Design

The study randomly assigned adjudicated youth from a single courtroom in the Philadelphia Juvenile and Family Court to FFT-G or a "treatment as usual" (TAU) condition. The TAU condition involved probation as well as referral to an alternative family therapy program, Family Therapy Treatment Program (FTTP), that was of approximately the same intensity and duration as FFT, but was not manualized and had not undergone rigorous evaluation. Services provided by this alternative program are also eligible for reimbursement through Medicaid.

Upcoming court dockets were scanned two weeks before each hearing date to identify study-eligible youth. For eligible youth whom the participating judge deemed suitable for community services, she ordered "family services" as a condition of probation. Following consent and pretesting, the families were randomly assigned to FFT-G (N=66) or the alternative program (FTTP; N=63) by the research team using a list of random numbers previously computer-generated by the PI. Referral forms for the appropriate treatment (FFT or FTTP) were sent to Community Behavioral Health (CBH) which handles all such referrals for court services and reimburses providers using Medicaid funds. CBH processed the referrals and assigned each family to one of the three participating FFT agencies (for treatment cases) or to the agency that provides FTTP. Researchers then informed the judge and the probation officers (POs) of the specific assignment. The project ensured that FFT-G cases were assigned to the FFT-G trained therapists within each FFT agency. Six-months after randomization the post-test interviews were and carried out, generally in the homes of participating families.

Data come from four main sources. First, all participants (youth and caregiver) were interviewed at study intake and again at six months post randomization. Second, data on contacts with the juvenile justice system (the full history as well as subsequent contacts for the 18-month period following random assignment) were collected from Family Court records. Adult court records were also checked for the post-random assignment period and residential placements were collected from court records. Third, data on community services received during the first six months following random assignment as well as the costs of those services were obtained from CBH. These data were augmented with records of community services paid through a special fund maintained by Family Court, as well as the cost of residential placements provided by the Department of Human Services. Finally, data on FFT-G fidelity and adherence were obtained from the FFT LLC computerized tracking system into which therapists entered information about each client contact.

Sample View help for Sample

Participants were families of study-eligible youth whose cases were heard on the participating judge's docket between September 15, 2013 and February 4, 2016 and for whom the judge ordered family services. To be eligible for study inclusion, youth had to be an 11-17-year-old male and could not have been referred for FFT services in the past year. A total of 129 families participated in the study. Families were disproportionately of lower income. The caregiver sample was 79% female, 80% African-American, 19% Hispanic/Latino, 25% married, with mean age 41.1 (SD=8.4). The mean age of participating boys was 15.4 (SD=1.4).

Time Method View help for Time Method

Universe View help for Universe

Adjudicated males ages 11-17 who reside in inner city Philadelphia neighborhoods who were court-ordered to receive family therapy

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

There are 5 data files included in this study.

adolpre_archive.sav:

This data file contains data from the pre-test interview on the adolescents. The data includes variables on demographics, caregiver relationship, friends' criminal behavior and drug and alcohol use, beliefs about criminal behavior, personal drug use, personal criminal behavior, gang involvement, and constructed scales on gang involvement and drug use.

adolpost_archive.sav:

This data file contains data from the post-test interview on the adolescents. The data includes variables on demographics, caregiver relationship, friends' criminal behavior and drug and alcohol use, beliefs about criminal behavior, personal drug use, personal criminal behavior, gang involvement, mental health, and constructed scales on gang involvement and drug use.

Fidelity.archive.sav:

These data were abstracted from the FFT "CSS" data system. This system contains data on FFT clients and contacts recorded by FFT-G therapists using a set of standardized monitoring checklists and case notes. A research assistant located each of the 66 youth randomly assigned to FFT-G in this system and recorded the open and close dates for each case (for duration of treatment) as well as the outcome of treatment (e.g., successful or not). The research assistant located records of all contacts made with each of the 66 treatment youth and recorded the following information for direct client contacts: number, type, and duration of contacts and sessions, and a rating of fidelity made by a supervisor.

parentpre_archive.sav:

This data file contains data from the pre-test interview on the parent or caregiver. The data includes variables on demographics, public assistance and social services, caregiving behaviors, child's activities, child's drug and alcohol use, child's friends' behaviors, opinions on child's behavior and activities, caregiver's drug and alcohol use, and constructed scales.

parentpost_archive.sav:

This data file contains data from the post-test interview on the parent or caregiver. The data includes variables on demographics, public assistance and social services, caregiving behaviors, family dynamics, child's activities, child's drug and alcohol use, child's friends' behaviors, opinion on child's behavior and activities, caregiver's mental health, caregiver's drug and alcohol use, and constructed scales.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

Post-test response rates were similar for treatment and control groups (92% for both treatment and control youth and 88% FFT-G vs. 92% for control parents).

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

Likert-type scales were used. Various scales used by the researchers were constructed. For more information, reference the scale documentation included in this study's documentation.

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2018-07-26

Weight View help for Weight

none