Abstract
Children in foster care are at risk for externalizing behavior problems, which can in turn increase the risk of changes in foster care placement. The KEEP (Keeping Foster Parents Trained and Supported) foster parent training intervention was designed to equip foster parents with strategies for managing externalizing behavior problems. The primary goals of this investigation were to (a) examine the effectiveness of the KEEP intervention in reducing child behavior problems, as delivered by a community agency; (b) determine if the effects of the KEEP intervention generalize to more than one child in the same home; and (c) examine the effectiveness of the KEEP intervention in reducing parental stress associated with child behavior problems. The data from 335 foster and kinship families with children between the ages of 5 and 12 years were analyzed to address these objectives. Families were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. The results indicated that the KEEP intervention was effective in reducing child behavior problems when delivered by a community agency. These results expanded prior research on the KEEP intervention, revealing that the intervention was effective in reducing the behavior problems of more than one child in the same household and in reducing parental stress levels associated with the behavioral issues of the focal child. Thus, the KEEP intervention model holds promise for reducing the behavior problems of children in foster care and reducing stress levels of foster and kinship caregivers as it is disseminated and implemented within similar child welfare settings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brestan, R. V., Eyberg, S. M., Boggs, S. R., & Algina, J. (1997). Parent-child interaction therapy: Parents’ perceptions of untreated siblings. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 19, 13–28.
Brotman, L. M., Dawson-McClure, S., Gouley, K. K., McGuire, K., Burraston, B., & Bank, L. (2005). Older siblings benefit from a family-based preventive intervention for preschoolers at risk for conduct problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 581–591.
Buchanan, R., Chamberlain, P., Price, J. M., & Sprengelmeyer, P. (2013). Examining the equivalence of fidelity over two generations of KEEP implementation: A preliminary analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 188–193.
Chamberlain, P., & Reid, J. B. (1987). Parent observation and report of child symptoms. Behavioral Assessment, 9, 97–109.
Chamberlain, P., Moreland, S., & Reid, K. (1992). Enhanced services and stipends for foster parents: Effects on retention rates and outcomes for children. Child Welfare, 71, 387–401.
Chamberlain, P., Price, J. M., Reid, J. B., Landsverk, J., Fisher, P. A., & Stoolmiller, M. (2006). Who disrupts from placement in foster and kinship care? Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 409–424.
Chamberlain, P., Leve, L., & DeGarmo, D. S. (2007). Multidimensional treatment foster care for girls in the juvenile justice system: 2-year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 187–193.
Chamberlain, P., Price, J. M., Leve, L., Laurent, H., Landsverk, J., & Reid, J. B. (2008a). Prevention of behavior problems for children in foster care: Outcomes and mediation effects. Prevention Science, 9, 17–27.
Chamberlain, P., Price, J. M., Reid, J. B., & Landsverk, J. (2008b). Cascading implementation of a foster and kinship parent intervention. Child Welfare: Journal of Policy, Practice, and Program, 87, 27–48.
Eddy, J. M., & Chamberlain, P. (2000). Family management and deviant peer association as mediators of the impact of treatment condition on youth antisocial behavior. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 857–863.
Forgatch, M. S., & Toobert, D. J. (1979). A cost-effective parent training program for use with normal preschool children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 4, 129–145.
Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Daley, D., Gardner, F., Whitaker, C., Jones, K., Earnes, C., & Edwards, R. T. (2007). Parenting intervention in Sure Start services for children at risk of developing conduct disorder: Pragmatic randomized controlled trial. BMJ. doi:10.1136/bmj39126.620799.55.
Keil, V., & Price, J. M. (2006). Externalizing behavior disorders in child welfare settings: Definition, prevalence, and implications for assessment and treatment. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 761–779.
Landsverk, J., Garland, A. F., & Leslie, L. K. (2002). Mental health services for children reported to child protective services. In J. E. B. Myers, L. Berliner, J. Briere, T. C. Hendrix, & C. Jenny (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (2nd ed., pp. 487–507). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
McClowry, S. G., Snow, D. L., & Tamis-LeMonda, C. S. (2005). An evaluation of the effects of INSIGHTS on the behavior of inner city primary school children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 26, 567–584.
Morris, S. B., & DeShon, R. P. (2002). Combining effect size estimates in meta-analysis with repeated measures and independent-groups designs. Psychological Methods, 7, 105–125.
Muthén, L., & Muthén, B.O. (2013). MPlus program. Muthen & Muthen.
National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being Group. (2003). National survey of child and adolescent well-being (NSCAW one year in foster care wave 1 data analysis report). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
Newton, R. R., Litrownik, A. J., & Landsverk, J. A. (2000). Children and youth in foster care: Disentangling the relationship between problem behaviors and number of placements. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24, 1363–1374.
Price, J. M., Chamberlain, P., Landsverk, J., Reid, J. B., Leve, L., & Laurent, H. (2008). Effects of a foster parent training intervention on placement changes of children in foster care. Child Maltreatment, 13, 64–75.
Price, J. M., Roesch, S., & Walsh, N. E. (2012). Effectiveness of the KEEP foster parent intervention during an implementation trial. Children and Youth Services Review, 12, 2487–2494.
Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Reid, J. B., & Eddy, J. M. (1997). The prevention of antisocial behavior: Some considerations in the search for effective interventions. In D. M. Stoff, J. Breiling, & J. D. Maser (Eds.), Handbook of antisocial behavior (pp. 343–356). New York: Wiley.
Acknowledgments
Support for this research was provided by Grant 2R01MH060195-06A1 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors thank San Diego County Child Welfare Services Director, Debra Zanders-Willis and Deputy Director, Roseann Myers; Social Advocates for Youth Supervisor, Shannon Throop; lead interventionists, Norma Talamantes, Blanca Mancillas, Moniseha Cole, and Sonia Miramontes; and the foster and relative caregivers who participated.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Price, J.M., Roesch, S., Walsh, N.E. et al. Effects of the KEEP Foster Parent Intervention on Child and Sibling Behavior Problems and Parental Stress During a Randomized Implementation Trial. Prev Sci 16, 685–695 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0532-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0532-9