Chambliss, J. W. (1998). An experimental trial of a home visiting program to prevent child maltreatment (Doctoral dissertation, Georgia State University, 1998). Dissertation Abstracts International, 61(03B), 152-1628. (AAI9967277)
Model(s) Reviewed:
Healthy Families America (HFA)®
| Screening decision | Screening conclusion | HomVEE procedures and standards version |
|---|---|---|
| Passes screens | Eligible for review | Version 1 |
| Rating | Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Compromised randomization | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measure(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Randomized controlled trial | Low | Established on race/ethnicity, SES, and feasible outcome measures in the analytic sample for some outcomes. | None | None | Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed before 2021 |
Notes:
High rating applies to the Child Protective Services crosscheck results (e.g., total count of any substantiated maltreatment reports up to 12 months). Other outcomes receive a low rating because of high attrition and failure to demonstrate baseline equivalence.
| Study participants | Healthy Families Georgia staff screened the medical records of all first-time mothers for risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Mothers who were found to be at risk were screened further using the Kempe Family Stress Checklist (FSC). Families in which either parent scored 25 or greater on the FSC were assigned to the program group or the comparison group based on the day of the month (odd or even) of their child’s birth. Among eligible families, 249 agreed to participate and were randomly assigned to the program group (n = 130) or the comparison group (n = 119). The analysis for this study included 132 families (61 in the program group and 71 in the comparison group). At baseline, on average, women in the program group were 17.9 years of age and women in the comparison group were 17.8 years of age. The sample was 76.2% African American, 2.3% Asian, 8.5% Hispanic, and 13.1% White in the program group, and 70.2% African American, 0.8% Asian, 9.2% Hispanic, and 19.3% White in the comparison group. 71.5% of the program group mothers and 74.8% of comparison group mothers had not graduated from high school and 86.6% and 86.3% of the respective groups were unemployed at baseline. |
|---|---|
| Setting | Eight counties in Georgia: Americus, Brunswick, DeKalb, Grady, Rome, Cordele, Gainsville, and Tifton. |
| Intervention services | Healthy Families Georgia has 12 components including “intensive home-based family support and education.” In the first year of a child’s life, the program provides for weekly visits to participating families by Family Support Workers (FSWs), for approximately one hour per visit. FSWs aim to develop trusting relationships with families, help them fill immediate needs, and provide various other services based on the families’ needs. Home visits decline in frequency as families meet specific predetermined goals. |
| Comparison conditions | Control group families received incentive payments up to $100 for participating in data collection visits and mothers were referred to other community services on an as-needed basis. |
| Subgroups examined |
This field lists subgroups examined in the manuscript (even if they were not replicated in other samples and not reported on the summary page for this model’s report). Subgroups are not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021. |
| Funding sources | Children's Trust Fund Commission of Georgia |
| Author affiliation | None of the study authors are developers of this model. |
| Peer reviewed | Peer reviewed status is not listed for manuscripts reviewed before 2021. |
Findings that rate moderate or high
| Rating | Outcome measure | Effect | Sample | Timing of follow-up | Sample size | Intervention group | Comparison group | Group difference | Effect size | Statistical significance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Substantiated CPS reports | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
Full sample, Georgia trial | Year 1 | 249 families | % = 6.90 | % = 5.00 | = 1.90 | HomVEE calculated = 0.20 | Statistical significance not reported |