Abstract
Child to family violence is a significant problem, and research on effective programs is lacking. The current study evaluates Step Up, a group intervention program for youth and parents to address youth-initiated patterns of violence. In this retrospective evaluation, we compared 115 court-involved youth who participated in Step Up between 2006 and 2015 to a propensity score weighted group of court-involved youth who had never participated in the program on three outcomes: general recidivism, assault-related recidivism, and domestic violence (DV)-related recidivism. The two groups were adequately balanced on 13 variables capturing background risk prior to outcome analyses. After propensity score weighting, the treatment group showed a significantly lower risk of general recidivism within 12 months, regardless of program completion (21.7% versus 30.9% for the comparison group). Program completion appeared to further boost positive results, as the risk of general recidivism was 14.7%, compared to 27.3% for the weighted comparison sample. However, program participation was not significantly related to either assault-related recidivism or DV-related recidivism, after controlling for background risk. The results of this study indicate that Step Up shows some promise as an effective program to reduce recidivism for youth engaged in child to family violence. However, the results are somewhat mixed, given the lack of effect on future assault-related and DV-related court referrals. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armijo-Olivo, S., Warren, S., & Magee, D. (2009). Intention to treat analysis, compliance, drop-outs and how to deal with missing data in clinical research: A review. Physical Therapy Reviews, 14(1), 36–49.
Austin, P. C. (2008). Goodness-of-fit diagnostics for the propensity score model when estimating treatment effects using covariate adjustment with the propensity score. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 17(12), 1202–1217.
Babcock, J. C., Green, C. E., & Robie, C. (2004). Does batterers' treatment work? A meta-analytic review of domestic violence treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 23(8), 1023–1053.
Baker, H. (2012). Problematizing the relationship between teenage boys and parent abuse: Constructions of masculinity and violence. Social Policy and Society, 11, 265–276.
Barnoski, R. (2004). Washington State juvenile court assessment manual, version 2.1. Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
Barnoski, R. (2007). Washington State Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT) manual. Olympia: Washington state institute for public policy.
Basile, K. C., & Smith, S. G. (2011). Sexual violence victimization of women: Prevalence, characteristics, and the role of public health and prevention. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5(5), 407–417.
Black, M. C. (2011). Intimate partner violence and adverse health consequences: Implications for clinicians. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5(5), 428–439.
Braithwaite, J. (1995). Reintegrative shaming, republicanism, and policy. In H. D. Barlow (Ed.), Crime and public policy: Putting theory to work (pp. 191–205). Boulder: Westview Press.
Condry, R., & Miles, C. (2014). Adolescent to parent violence: Framing and mapping a hidden problem. Crimnology & Criminal Justice, 14(3), 257–275.
Coogan, D. (2014). Responding to child-to-parent violence: Innovative practices in child and adolescent mental health. Health & Social Work, 39(2), e1–e9.
Correll, J. (2014) Long-term effects of the step-up program on parent participants (Master’s Thesis). Retrieved from ProQuest dissertations and theses (thesis number: 1573628).
Cottrell, B. (2003). Parent abuse, the abuse of parents by their teenage children: Overview paper (Microlog Canadian non-depository federal documents). Ottawa: Health Canada, Population & Public Health Branch, Family Violence Prevention Unit, National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.
Cottrell, B., & Monk, P. (2004). Adolescent-to-parent abuse: A qualitative overview of common themes. Journal of Family Issues, 25(8), 1072–1095.
Downey, L. (1997). Adolescent violence: A systematic and feminist perspective. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 18(2), 70–79.
Dutton, D. G., & Corvo, K. (2006). Transforming a flawed policy: A call to revive psychology and science in domestic violence research and practice. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(5), 457–483.
Evans, E. D., & Warren-Sohlberg, L. (1988). A pattern of analysis of adolescent abusive behavior towards parents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 3(2), 201–216.
Goldstein, A., & Glick, B. (1994). Aggression replacement training: Curriculum and evaluation. Simulation & Gaming, 25(1), 9–26.
Guo, S., & Fraser, M. W. (2014). Propensity score analysis: Statistical methods and applications. Los Angeles: Sage.
Henggeler, S. W., Schoenwald, S. K., Borduin, C. M., Rowland, M. D., & Cunningham, P. B. (Eds.). (2009). Multisystemic therapy for antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press.
Hunter, C., & Nixon, J. (2012). Exploring parent abuse: Building knowledge across disciplines. Social Policy & Society, 11(2), 211–215.
Ibabe, I., Jaureguizar, J., & Bentler, P. M. (2013). Risk factors for child-to-parent violence. Journal of Family Violence, 28(5), 523–534.
Imbens, G. W., & Wooldridge, J. M. (2009). Recent developments in econometrics of program evaluation. Journal of Economic Literature, 47, 5–86.
Jackson, D. (2003). Broadening constructions of family violence: Mothers' perspectives of aggression from their children. Child & Family Social Work, 8(4), 321–329.
Kazdin, A., & Crowley, M. J. (1997). Moderators of treatment outcome in cognitively based treatment of antisocial children. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 21, 185–207.
Kennedy, T., Edmonds, W., Dann, K., & Burnett, K. (2010). The clinical and adaptive features of young offenders with histories of child-parent violence. Journal of Family Violence, 25(5), 509–520.
Kerr, D., & Capaldi, D. (2011). Young men's intimate partner violence and relationship functioning: Long-term outcomes associated with suicide attempt and aggression in adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 41(4), 759–769.
Leeb, T. R., Lewis, T., & Zolotor, A. J. (2011). A review of physical and mental health consequences of child abuse and neglect and implications for practice. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 5(5), 454–468.
Miller, M., Drake, E., & Nafziger, M. (2013). What works to reduce recidivism by domestic violence offenders? (Document No. 13-01-1201). Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
Miller, M., Fumia, D., & He, L. (2015). The King County Education and Employment Training (EET) Program: Outcome evaluation and benefit-cost analysis. (Document Number 15-12-3901). Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
Nixon, J. (2012). Practitioners' contructions of parent abuse. Social Policy and Society, 11(2), 229–239.
Nock, M. K., & Kazdin, A. E. (2002). Parent-directed physical aggression by clinic-referred youths. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31(2), 193–205.
Northwest Resource Associates. (2001). Evaluation report: Step-up. Seattle.
Office of Juvenile Justice. (2011). Juvenile justice annual report. Olympia: Washington state partnership council of juvenile justice.
Omer, H. (2004). Nonviolent resistance: A new approach to violent and self-destructive children. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Organizational Research Services (2005). King County step-up program evaluation. Seattle.
Pagani, L. S., Tremblay, R. E., Nagin, D., Zoccolillo, M., Vitaro, F., & McDuff, P. (2004). Risk factor models for adolescent verbal and physical aggression toward mothers. Journal of Behavioral Development, 28(6), 528–537.
Pagani, L. S., Tremblay, R. E., Nagin, D., Zoccolillo, M., Vitaro, F., & McDuff, P. (2009). Risk factor models for adolescent verbal and physical aggression toward fathers. Journal of Family Violence, 24(3), 173–182.
Rosenbaum, P. R., & Rubin, D. B. (1983). The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects. Biometrika, 70, 41–55.
Routt, G., & Anderson, L. (2015). Adolescent violence in the home: Restorative approaches to building healthy, respectful family relationships. New York: Routledge Press.
Ryan, J. P., Helton, J., & Chiu, Y. (2013). DuPage County step-up program evaluation report. Urbana: Children and Family Research Center.
Sexton, T., & Alexander, J. F. (2000). Functional family therapy. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Shrier, I., Steele, R. J., Verhagen, E., Herbert, R., Riddell, C. A., & Kaufman, J. S. (2014). Beyond intent to treat: What is the right question? Clinical Trials, 11, 28–37.
Simmons, M., McEwan, T. E., Purcell, R., & Oglaff, J. R. P. (2018). Sixty years of child-to-parent abuse research: What we know and where to go. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 38, 31–52.
Snyder, H. N., & McCurley, C. (2008). Domestic assaults by juvenile offenders. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenlie Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Stover, C. S., Meadows, A. L., & Kauffman, J. (2009). Interventions for intimate partner violence: Review and implications for evidence-based practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(3), 223–233.
Sumner, S. A., Mercy, J. A., Dahlberg, L. L., Hillis, S. D., Klevens, J., & Houry, D. (2015). Violence in the United States: Status, challenges, and opportunities. Journal of the American Medical Association, 314(5), 478–488.
Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. New York: Guilford Press.
Tucker, C. J., Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A. M., & Turner, H. (2013). Prevalence and correlates of sibling victimization types. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37, 213–223.
Uekert, B., Sagatun-Edwards, I., Crowe, A., Peters, T., Cheesman, F., & Kameda, D. (2006). Juvenile domestic and family violence: The effects of court-based intervention programs on recidivism. Washington, DC: The National Center for State Courts.
Underwood, L. A., Phillips, A., Von Dresner, K., & Knight, P. D. (2006). Critical factors in mental health programming for juveniles in corrections facilities. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2(1), 108–141.
Weinblatt, U., & Omer, H. (2008). Nonviolent resistance: A treatment for parents of children with acute behavior problems. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34(1), 75–92.
Wilkins, N., Tsao, B., Hertz, M., Davis, R., & Klevens, J. (2014). Connecting the dots: An overview of the links among multiple forms of violence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Oakland, CA: Prevention Institute.
Yanovitzky, I., Hornik, R., & Zanutto, E. (2008). Estimating causal effects in observational studies: The propensity score approach. In A. F. Hayes, M. D. Slater, & L. B. Snyder (Eds.), The SAGE sourcebook of advanced data analysis methods for communication (pp. 159–184). Los Angeles: Sage.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gilman, A.B., Walker, S.C. Evaluating the Effects of an Adolescent Family Violence Intervention Program on Recidivism among Court-Involved Youth. J Fam Viol 35, 95–106 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00070-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00070-2