2014 · Study · English
Effects of the Communities That Care Prevention System on Youth Reports of Protective Factors
Kim, B. K. E., Gloppen, K. M., Rhew, I. C., Oesterle, S., & Hawkins, J. D.
Kim, B. K. E., Gloppen, K. M., Rhew, I. C., Oesterle, S., & Hawkins, J. D. (2014). Effects of the Communities That Care Prevention System on Youth Reports of Protective Factors. Prevention Science, 16(5), 652–662. doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0524-9
Summary
Analysis in Prevention Science testing whether CTC raises the overall level of protection in a community. In the community-randomised trial in 24 communities across seven states, a panel of 4,407 young people was followed from grade 5 to grade 8. Hierarchical linear models compared mean levels of 15 protective factors derived from the social development model in grade 8, adjusted for covariates and grade 5 baseline levels. Across all factors, protection was significantly higher in CTC than in control communities. By domain, effects were significant in the community, school and peer/individual domains but not in the family domain; opportunities for prosocial involvement in the community, recognition for prosocial involvement at school, interaction with prosocial peers and social skills contributed most. The authors read this as consistent with CTC’s theory of change, in which strengthening protection is one mechanism for preventing behaviour problems. Read together with Kim et al. (2015) on whether these effects lasted.