Black or African American
11%
Zielinski, D. S., Eckenrode, J., & Olds, D. L. (2009). Nurse home visitation and the prevention of child maltreatment: Impact on the timing of official reports. Development and Psychopathology, 21(2), 441–453. doi:10.1017/S0954579409000248
Model(s): Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)®
Study design characteristics contributing to rating
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors? | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | Low |
Established on race and SES (assuming same sample characteristics as reported in previous analyses using the 15 year follow-up). |
None |
Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed under Handbook of Procedures and Standards, Version 1 |
Notes from the review of this manuscript
The study reports a general sample size of 324 but does not indicate the sample size used in the analysis.
The Elmira sample included two deviations from the randomization procedure. First, six housemates of women already randomly assigned and enrolled in the study were assigned to the same treatment as the women already enrolled. Second, the probability of being assigned to one of the treatment groups was increased in the last 6 months of the 30 month enrollment period. The first issue suggests a mismatch between the unit of assignment (adult in the household) and the unit of analysis, which may lead to overstating the precision of the standard errors. The second issue should lead to a weighting strategy in the analysis, so that those who were enrolled later receive less weight in the analysis. Weighting, however, was not used in these studies.
Reductions In Child Maltreatment
| Outcome Measure | Timing of Follow-Up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect Size (Absolute Value) | Stastical Significance | Sample Size | Sample Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number maltreatment, substantiated reports (percentage) | 15-year follow-up | High | 0.24 | Statistical significance not reported | Nurse visited during pregnancy + infancy and comparison (Elmira) | ||
| Number neglect, substantiated reports (percentage) | 15-year follow-up | High | 0.36 | Statistical significance not reported | Nurse visited during pregnancy + infancy and comparison (Elmira) | ||
| Onset of maltreatment | 15-year follow-up | High | Statistical significance not reported | Nurse visited during pregnancy + infancy and comparison (Elmira) | |||
| Onset of neglect | 15-year follow-up | High | Statistical significance not reported | Nurse visited during pregnancy + infancy and comparison (Elmira) |
This study included participants from the following locations:
- New York
Study Participants
The sample included pregnant, first-time mothers who were less than 30 weeks pregnant. The study actively recruited and included pregnant, first-time mothers who were less than 25 weeks pregnant, were less than 19 years old, were single parents, or had low socioeconomic status. Between April 1978 and September 1980, 500 women were interviewed and 400 were randomly assigned. This study measured the sample when the children were 15 years old. The 15-year follow-up included 324 women (others were ineligible because of child or maternal death or because they declined to participate in the follow-up). However, the study does not report the number included in the analysis, which is likely fewer than 324. Children for whom there was one year or less of maltreatment data available were excluded from the study, as were women from one of the treatment groups (described below).
Setting
The study was conducted in a small, a semi-rural city in the Appalachian region of New York.
Intervention condition
Note: Navigate to the model page for more information about the home visiting model. See the source manuscript for more information about how the model was implemented in this study.
Comparison Conditions
The study included two comparison groups, which were combined for the analyses. The first comparison group did not receive any services during pregnancy. When the children were 12 and 24 months old, they were screened for sensory and developmental problems and referred to other specialists, as appropriate. The second treatment group received free transportation (through a contract with a local taxi company) for prenatal and well-child care at local clinics and doctors’ offices. The second comparison group also received the 12- and 24-month developmental screening.
Subgroups examined
• Subgroups defined by combinations of maternal characteristics (unmarried and low income)
Funding Sources
Prevention Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH49381); the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (96ASPE278A); the Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (90-CA-1631); a National Institute of Mental Health Senior Research Scientist Award (to D.L.O., 1-K05-MH01382-01); and the Smith–Richardson Foundation.