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| ABSTRACT: Aggressive, disruptive behaviors account for the most commonly reported child mental health problems in the school environment. Aggressive, disruptive behavioral expressions are often precursors to more serious problems in schools, including school failure, suspensions and dropouts. Research indicates that children reared in resource poor environments have increased incidences of aggressive, disruptive behaviors. Urban, African American children are of particular interest given that they are: 1) more likely than youth from other groups to live in low-income families and to reside in neighborhoods characterized by high violence and drug exposure, factors linked to the expressions of aggression and conduct-related problems; and 2) particularly unlikely to receive mental health treatment when it is needed due to negative perceptions of services or stigma associated with having a mental health problem. To address these issues among urban youth with identified behavioral problems in school and their caregivers, this project will rely on a strong theoretical model of behavior, the Unified Theory of Behavior (UTB) to identify the proximal factors associated with engagement in SMH services among a sample of African American youth and their primary caregivers. Application of the UTB to family engagement in SMH services will facilitate the target of core processes regarding family engagement, including relationships between families and clinicians, families’ sense of self-efficacy, expectations and attributions regarding mental health services, etc. When targeted, these core processes might explain processes by which families become engaged, as well the development of targeted engagement interventions. There are two related studies in this project. Study 1 uses mixed methods (focus groups and a cross-sectional, descriptive study) with youth and caregivers to explore micro/macro-level processes, including mediators and moderators as outlined in the UTB, while Study 2 focuses on the development and testing of the engagement intervention. The intervention will be first piloted in an open trial and then tested in a small randomized controlled study. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Michael Lindsey, PhD FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute of Mental Health (in review) AMOUNT OF FUNDING: Pending PROJECT DATES: 2007-2012
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