Preventive Intervention for Maltreated Preschool Children: Impact on Children's Behavior, Neuroendocrine Activity, and Foster Parent Functioning

• NCJ Number: 185708
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 39 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 1356-1364
• Author(s): Philip A. Fisher; Megan R. Gunnar; Patricia Chamberlain; John B. Reid
• Date Published: November 2000
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA12231; R01 MH59780; R03 MH56932; R501 MH37911; 5P30 MH46690; R01 HD19739
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the results of a pilot study that evaluated the effectiveness of the Early Intervention Foster Care program in the period immediately following a child's placement in a new foster home.

Abstract

Data were collected from an Early Intervention Foster Care (EIFC) group, a regular foster care group, and a community comparison group - each with 10 participants - via questionnaires for children and their caretakers and salivary cortisol sampling. EIFC foster parents adopted and maintained positive parenting strategies. EIFC children's behavioral adjustment improved, and changes occurred in several salivary cortisol measures. Moreover, regular foster care children exhibited decrements in functioning in several areas over the same time period. The article discusses study results with regard to how such research fits into a larger program of prevention research for high-risk preschool children. The larger program should include a randomized clinical trial involving a larger sample. Observed changes similar to those obtained in this smaller study might justify a larger-scale effectiveness trial, optimally demonstrating that the intervention's impact is not lost in the dissemination to community settings. Table, figures, references