Black or African American
45.40%
Source
DuMont, K., Mitchell-Herzfeld, S., Greene, R., Lee, E., Lowenfels, A., Rodriguez, M., et al. (2008). Healthy Families New York (HFNY) randomized trial: Effects on early child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(3), 295–315.
Model(s) Reviewed
Funding Sources
US Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau (grant #90CW1105).
Study Design
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | Low | Established on race/ethnicity, SES, and several baseline measures of prior abuse, neglect, and maltreatment. | None |
Notes
Study Participants
Recruitment for the randomized controlled trial of Healthy Families New York (HFNY) occurred between March 2000 and August 2001. Pregnant women or parents with an infant 3 months of age or younger who were found to be at risk for child abuse or neglect and lived in communities with high rates of teen pregnancy, infant mortality, welfare receipt, and low rates of prenatal care, were referred to HFNY. Consenting families were screened using the Kempe Family Stress Checklist (FSC); 1,297 eligible families who received scores of 25 or higher on the FSC were randomly assigned to the program group (n = 647) or the comparison group (n = 650). 1,173 mothers completed a baseline interview (579 in the program group and 594 in the comparison group). Of those who completed baseline interviews, 45.4% were African American (non-Latina), 18.0% were Latina, and 34.4% were White (non-Latina). On average, the mothers were 22.5 years of age, and 29.2% of the families were receiving welfare. This study reports on the results from the year 1 and year 2 follow-ups of HFNY. At year 1, 1,060 families completed a follow-up interview, and at year 2, 992 families were interviewed. 971 families completed both follow-ups.
Setting
Three Healthy Families New York sites were included in the study: Erie, Rensselaer, and Ulster counties. Erie serves primarily African American and Latino families in inner-city neighborhoods in Buffalo. Rensselaer and Ulster counties include urban, suburban, and rural locations; both serve largely White families, but with a substantial African American population in Rensselaer and Latino population in Ulster (Mitchell-Herzfeld, 2005).
Home Visiting Services
Participants in the program group were assigned to an HFNY home visitor. Home visitors were scheduled to visit families biweekly during pregnancy (if they enrolled prior to the birth of the child) and at least weekly immediately following the birth of the child. The frequency of visits was gradually decreased based on family needs, and visits continued until the child turned 5 or began Head Start or kindergarten. Home visitors emphasized activities to improve the parent-child relationship, help parents understand child development and improve child growth, improve access to health care, and improve family functioning through the development and use of a Family Support Plan (Mitchell-Herzfeld, 2005). At year 1, 50% of program group families were still participating in the intervention, and in year 3, one-third of the program group was still participating. Families participating in year 1 received an average of 22 visits during year 1, and those participating in year 2 received an average of 14 visits in year 2.
Comparison Conditions
Members of the control group received information about and referrals to other community services, though they were not referred to home visiting services that were similar to HFNY.
Subgroups examined
• Maternal age and parity (primiparous and age less than 20 years) • Mother has psychological vulnerability (yes or no)
Findings that rate moderate or high in this manuscript
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Effect size | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serious abuse and neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Very serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Minor physical aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Psychological aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Harsh parenting in the past week (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Substantiated abuse or neglect report | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of serious abuse and neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of very serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 |
1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of minor physical aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 |
1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of psychological aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 |
1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of harsh parenting in the past week (CTS-PC) | Year 1 | High | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 |
1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Number of substantiated abuse or neglect reports | Year 1 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 1060 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Serious abuse and neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Very serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Minor physical aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Psychological aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Harsh parenting in the past week (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Substantiated abuse or neglect report | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of serious abuse and neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of very serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of serious physical abuse (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 |
992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of minor physical aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of psychological aggression (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of neglect (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Frequency of harsh parenting in the past week (CTS-PC) | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial | |
| Number of substantiated abuse or neglect reports | Year 2 | High | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 992 families | Full sample, NY Trial |
This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:
Race/Ethnicity
Maternal Education
Other Characteristics
This study included participants from the following locations:
- New York