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Implementing Interventions with Families in Schools to Increase Youth School Engagement: The Family Check-Up Model

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Abstract

This study examined outcomes associated with the Family Check-Up (FCU), an adaptive, tailored, family-centered intervention to enhance positive adjustment of middle school youth and prevent problem behavior. The FCU intervention model was delivered to families in 3 public middle schools. The study sample comprised 377 families, and participants were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention or school as usual. Participation in the intervention was relatively high, with 38% of the families receiving the FCU. Participation in the intervention improved youth self-regulation over the 3 years of the study. Self-regulation skills, defined as effortful control, predicted both decreased depression and increased school engagement in high school, with small to medium effect sizes. The results have implications for the delivery of mental health services in schools that specifically target family involvement and parenting skills.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant DA018374 to Elizabeth Stormshak and National Institutes of Health grant DA018760 to Thomas Dishion. We acknowledge the contribution of the Portland Public Schools, the Project Alliance staff, and participating youth and families.

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  1. Child and Family Center, University of Oregon, 195 W. 12th Ave., Eugene, OR, 97401, USA

    Elizabeth A. Stormshak, Gregory M. Fosco & Thomas J. Dishion

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  1. Elizabeth A. Stormshak
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  2. Gregory M. Fosco
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  3. Thomas J. Dishion
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Stormshak.

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Stormshak, E.A., Fosco, G.M. & Dishion, T.J. Implementing Interventions with Families in Schools to Increase Youth School Engagement: The Family Check-Up Model. School Mental Health 2, 82–92 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-009-9025-6

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