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Gender Differences in Patterns of Child Risk across Programmatic Phases of the CMHI: A Multiple Group Latent Class Analysis (LCA)

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Abstract

Data from 18,437 children enrolled in the national evaluation of the Children’s Mental Health Initiative between 1994 and 2005 were used to examine the evolution of patterns of risk among boys and girls across funding phases using multigroup latent class analysis. Consistent with previous research, this study identified four subgroups of children with similar patterns of child risk. Membership to these risk subgroups varied as a function of age and was associated with differences in impairment levels. Changes in the distribution of boys and girls in the risk classes suggest that, over time, an increasing proportion of boys have entered the system of care program with complex histories of risk. Information on children’s exposure to child risk factors can aid policy makers, service providers, and clinicians in identifying children who may need more intensive services and tailoring services to their needs.

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Notes

  1. As noted in the “Analysis” section, this unrestricted multigroup LC model is equivalent to the estimation of a separate model for each group but overall measures of fit are presented.

  2. Iterative optimization techniques such as the one used in LCA may reach solutions, called local maxima, that do not represent the maximum likelihood estimation. To minimize this possibility, the estimation process is repeated with different starting values (chosen at random) until the results are replicated several times. It was not possible, however, to replicate the results from H5C.

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Acknowledgment

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant no. 1R01MH075828. The views expressed are the opinions of the authors and not those of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Health, or the federal government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICF Macro, 116 John St., Suite 800, New York, NY, 10038, USA

    Lucas Godoy Garraza MA & Christine M. Walrath PhD

  2. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Hampton House 801, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Melissa Azur PhD

  3. ICF Macro, 3 Corporate Square NE, Suite 370, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    Robert L. Stephens PhD

Authors
  1. Lucas Godoy Garraza MA
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  2. Melissa Azur PhD
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  3. Robert L. Stephens PhD
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  4. Christine M. Walrath PhD
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Correspondence to Lucas Godoy Garraza MA.

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Garraza, L.G., Azur, M., Stephens, R.L. et al. Gender Differences in Patterns of Child Risk across Programmatic Phases of the CMHI: A Multiple Group Latent Class Analysis (LCA). J Behav Health Serv Res 38, 265–277 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-010-9219-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-010-9219-6

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