OSLC Relationship Study

OSLC Relationship Study 2

Oregon Social Learning Center

Principal Investigator: Patti Chamberlain
Co-Investigators: Leslie Leve; John B. Reid
Project Coordinator: Courtenay Padgett
Year Completed: 2008
Funder: National Institute of Drug Abuse

A study of how community-based interventions can help girls function well in their teenage years in into adulthood.

This is an intervention study focusing on teenage girls referred from the juvenile justice system. The study tests the effectiveness of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) compared to placement in group care on short and long term outcomes including participation in delinquency and in health-risking behaviors. In MTFC, the girls are placed with community foster families who are trained and supported to provide girls with good supervision, mentoring, and fair and consistent limits. Girls in MTFC also receive individual and family therapy, skill training and academic support. They attend neighborhood public schools. In Group Care girls usually receive group and individual therapy, and go to in-house schools. Many girls in Group Care also receive family therapy. We are also investigating how the relationships that girls have with significant others such as parents, friends, and mentors affect their short and long-term adjustment. The goal of the study is to better understand how the community-based interventions can help girls to be happy and to function well in their teenage years and in adulthood.