Family Policy Program

Research Publications

McGuigan, W.M., Katzev, A.R., & Pratt, C.C. (2003). Multi-Level Determinants of Mother's Engagement in Home Visitation Services. Family Relations, 52: 271-278.

A two-level hierarchical linear model (HGLM) was used to investigate the impact of poor community health and maternal isolation on mother's active engagement in a home-visiting family support program. Data came from 4,057 mothers with firstborn infants, who enrolled in the Oregon Healthy Start (OHS) home-visiting program from 1995 through 1998. At the time of this study OHS operated in 15 Oregon counties. Results showed that if the mother was living in a county that displayed poor community health, or if the mother was isolated from immediate family and friendship networks, the likelihood of actively engaging in home visits was significantly reduced. Implications for programming and study limitations are discussed.

McGuigan, W.M., Katzev, A.R., & Pratt, C.C. (2003). Multi-Level Determinants of Retention in a Home Visiting Child Abuse Prevention Program. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27: 363-380.

This exploratory study investigated how attributes from multiple domains influence retention in a voluntary home visiting child abuse prevention program.

A sample of 1,093 "at risk" families participated in a home visiting child abuse prevention program. A total of 71 family support workers provided home visitation services in 12 different communities. Hierarchical general linear modeling (HGLM) was used to examine the community, home visitory, and maternal attributes that predicted retention in the program beyond one year.

Multilevel analyses (HGLM) revealed significant community, home visitor and maternal level effects. Families were less likely to remain in a home visiting child abuse prevention program for at least one year if they lived in an area with high community violence. Families were more likely to remain when the home visitor received more hours of direct supervision. Older mothers were more likely to remain for at least one year than were younger mothers. Hispanic mothers were more likely to remain htan were White non-Hispanic mothers.

These findings demonstrate the utility of looking across multiple levels of influence when examining retention in home visiting child abuse prevention program.s To increase retention rates home visitors will need to be adaptable to fit the needs of families in violent communities. Supervisors can influence retention rates by providing more hours of direct supervision. Other strategies that may contribute to program retention include meeting the scheduling needs of younger mothers and involving the families of younger mothers more effectively.

Squires, J., Katzev, A., & Jenkins, F. (2002). Early Screening for Developmental Delays: Use of Parent-Completed Questionnaires in Oregon's Heathy Start Program. Early Child Development & Care, 172: 275-282.

A developmental screening project conducted by Oregon Healthy Start, a home visiting program for first-time parents, is described. First, procedures of the Heathy Start developmental screening project are explained. Second, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, a parent-completed screening tool used as an outcome measure, is described. Finally, outcomes of the project are given including recommendations for use of parent-completed measures in home visiting programs.

McGuigan, W. M. & Pratt, C. C. (2001). The Effect of Domestic Violence on Three Types of Child Maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25: 869-883.

This exploratory study investigated the co-occurrence of domestic violence and three types of child maltreatment. A sample of 2,544 at-risk mothers with first born children participated in a home visiting child abuse prevention program.

A longitudinal design using multiple data collection methods investigated the effect of domestic violence during the first 6 months of child rearing on confirmed child maltreatment, during child's first 5 years.

Logistic regressions revealed significant relationships between domestic violence and physical child abuse, psychological child abuse, and child neglect. Domestic violence occurred in 59 (38%) of the 155 cases of confirmed maltreatment. Domestic violence preceded child maltreatment in 46 (78%) of the 59 cases of co-occurrence as indicated by independent home observations and child protective service records.

The findings indicate domestic violence and risks factors measured on the KFSI continue to contribute to all three types of maltreatment up to the child's fifth year. Prevention programs would be wise to provide services to at risk families until the child is at least 5 years old. Addressing concurrent problems during treatment may enhance intervention.

Pratt, C. C., McGuigan, W. M., & Katzeva, A. (2001). Measuring program outcomes using retrospective pretest methodology. American Journal of Evaluation, 21: 341-349.

This study used longitudinal data from 307 mothers with firstborn infants participating in a home-visitation, child-abuse prevention program.
A self-report measure of specific constructs the program hoped to impact showed that the retrospective pretest methodology produced a more legitimate assessment of program outcomes than did the traditional pretest-posttest methodology.

Results showed that when response shift bias was present, traditional pretest-posttest comparisons resulted in an underestimation of program effects that could easily be avoided by the retrospective pretest methodology. With the demands for documenting program outcomes increasing, retrospective pretest designs are shown to be a simple, convenient and expeditious method for assessing program effects in responsive interventions. The limits of the retrospective pretests, and methods for strengthening their use, are discussed.

McGuigan, W. M., Vuchinich, S., & Pratt, C. C. (2000). Domestic violence, parents' view of their infant, and child abuse risk. Journal of Family Psychology, 14: 613-624.

This investigation used longitudinal data from 181 couples with firstborn infants to test the hypothesis that parent's negative cognitions about the child mediates the effect of domestic violence on risk of child abuse. Analysis of covariance showed that mothers and fathers who experienced domestic violence during the first year of their child's life developed a significantly more negative view of their child. Hierarchical regressions showed that the effect of domestic violence on the family's risk of child abuse was mediated by the mother's and father's negative view of the child. Intervention and prevention applications are discussed.


	Limit results to this site.		Health and Human Sciences » Human Development and Family Sciences » Family Policy Program » Research Publications. Research Publications *McGuigan, W.M., Katzev, A.R., & Pratt, C.C. (2003). Multi-Level Determinants of Mother's Engagement in Home Visitation Services. Family Relations, 52: 271-278.* A two-level hierarchical linear model (HGLM) was used to investigate the impact of poor community health and maternal isolation on mother's active engagement in a home-visiting family support program. Data came from 4,057 mothers with firstborn infants, who enrolled in the Oregon Healthy Start (OHS) home-visiting program from 1995 through 1998. At the time of this study OHS operated in 15 Oregon counties. Results showed that if the mother was living in a county that displayed poor community health, or if the mother was isolated from immediate family and friendship networks, the likelihood of actively engaging in home visits was significantly reduced. Implications for programming and study limitations are discussed. McGuigan, W.M., Katzev, A.R., & Pratt, C.C. (2003). Multi-Level Determinants of Retention in a Home Visiting Child Abuse Prevention Program. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27: 363-380. This exploratory study investigated how attributes from multiple domains influence retention in a voluntary home visiting child abuse prevention program. A sample of 1,093 "at risk" families participated in a home visiting child abuse prevention program. A total of 71 family support workers provided home visitation services in 12 different communities. Hierarchical general linear modeling (HGLM) was used to examine the community, home visitory, and maternal attributes that predicted retention in the program beyond one year. Multilevel analyses (HGLM) revealed significant community, home visitor and maternal level effects. Families were less likely to remain in a home visiting child abuse prevention program for at least one year if they lived in an area with high community violence. Families were more likely to remain when the home visitor received more hours of direct supervision. Older mothers were more likely to remain for at least one year than were younger mothers. Hispanic mothers were more likely to remain htan were White non-Hispanic mothers. These findings demonstrate the utility of looking across multiple levels of influence when examining retention in home visiting child abuse prevention program.s To increase retention rates home visitors will need to be adaptable to fit the needs of families in violent communities. Supervisors can influence retention rates by providing more hours of direct supervision. Other strategies that may contribute to program retention include meeting the scheduling needs of younger mothers and involving the families of younger mothers more effectively. Squires, J., Katzev, A., & Jenkins, F. (2002). Early Screening for Developmental Delays: Use of Parent-Completed Questionnaires in Oregon's Heathy Start Program. Early Child Development & Care, 172: 275-282. A developmental screening project conducted by Oregon Healthy Start, a home visiting program for first-time parents, is described. First, procedures of the Heathy Start developmental screening project are explained. Second, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, a parent-completed screening tool used as an outcome measure, is described. Finally, outcomes of the project are given including recommendations for use of parent-completed measures in home visiting programs. *McGuigan, W. M. & Pratt, C. C. (2001). The Effect of Domestic Violence on Three Types of Child Maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25: 869-883.* This exploratory study investigated the co-occurrence of domestic violence and three types of child maltreatment. A sample of 2,544 at-risk mothers with first born children participated in a home visiting child abuse prevention program. A longitudinal design using multiple data collection methods investigated the effect of domestic violence during the first 6 months of child rearing on confirmed child maltreatment, during child's first 5 years. Logistic regressions revealed significant relationships between domestic violence and physical child abuse, psychological child abuse, and child neglect. Domestic violence occurred in 59 (38%) of the 155 cases of confirmed maltreatment. Domestic violence preceded child maltreatment in 46 (78%) of the 59 cases of co-occurrence as indicated by independent home observations and child protective service records. The findings indicate domestic violence and risks factors measured on the KFSI continue to contribute to all three types of maltreatment up to the child's fifth year. Prevention programs would be wise to provide services to at risk families until the child is at least 5 years old. Addressing concurrent problems during treatment may enhance intervention. Pratt, C. C., McGuigan, W. M., & Katzeva, A. (2001). Measuring program outcomes using retrospective pretest methodology. American Journal of Evaluation, 21: 341-349. This study used longitudinal data from 307 mothers with firstborn infants participating in a home-visitation, child-abuse prevention program. A self-report measure of specific constructs the program hoped to impact showed that the retrospective pretest methodology produced a more legitimate assessment of program outcomes than did the traditional pretest-posttest methodology. Results showed that when response shift bias was present, traditional pretest-posttest comparisons resulted in an underestimation of program effects that could easily be avoided by the retrospective pretest methodology. With the demands for documenting program outcomes increasing, retrospective pretest designs are shown to be a simple, convenient and expeditious method for assessing program effects in responsive interventions. The limits of the retrospective pretests, and methods for strengthening their use, are discussed. *McGuigan, W. M., Vuchinich, S., & Pratt, C. C. (2000). Domestic violence, parents' view of their infant, and child abuse risk. Journal of Family Psychology, 14: 613-624.* This investigation used longitudinal data from 181 couples with firstborn infants to test the hypothesis that parent's negative cognitions about the child mediates the effect of domestic violence on risk of child abuse. Analysis of covariance showed that mothers and fathers who experienced domestic violence during the first year of their child's life developed a significantly more negative view of their child. Hierarchical regressions showed that the effect of domestic violence on the family's risk of child abuse was mediated by the mother's and father's negative view of the child. Intervention and prevention applications are discussed.