Asian
23%
Source
Duggan, A., Fuddy, L., McFarlane, E., Burrell, L., Windham, A., Higman, S., & Sia, C. (2004). Evaluating a statewide home visiting program to prevent child abuse in at-risk families of newborns: Fathers’ participation and outcomes. Child Maltreatment, 9(1), 3–17.
Model(s) Reviewed
Study Registration
Funding Sources
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (R40 MC 00029, formerly MCJ 240637; R40 MC 00123, formerly MCJ 240838); the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 18303); the Annie E. Casey Foundation (94-4041); the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (93-6051, 94-7957, 97 8058, and 98-3448); and the Hawaii State Department of Health (99-29-J).
Study Design
| Design | Attrition | Baseline equivalence | Confounding factors | Valid, reliable measures? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | Low | Established on race and ethnicity; not established on SES; outcomes not feasible to assess at baseline | None |
Notes
In 2020, HomVEE updated this review to remove a mother's partnership status/family structure finding from the Family Economic Self-Sufficiency domain because ACF determined that mother's partnership status is ineligible for review by HomVEE.
Two outcomes (maternally reported father violence and mother’s designation of child’s biological father as her partner) were assessable at baseline. Authors did not establish baseline equivalence or control for baseline differences.
Study Participants
Hawaii Healthy Start Program (HSP) staff screened the medical records of mothers from Oahu communities delivering children at Kapiolani Maternity Hospital for risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Families were eligible for HSP if one or both parents scored at least 25 on the Family Stress Checklist, mothers could be interviewed in English, and families were not already enrolled in HSP. If HSP home visiting intake was open on the day a family was deemed eligible, the family was invited to participate. A total of 897 families were eligible to be enrolled, and 730 of them agreed to participate. Using a table of random numbers, families were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a study treatment group or a study control group (both evaluated at one, two, and three years), or a testing control group (evaluated only at three years). The analytic sample for this study does not include families evaluated only at three years. The final analytic sample includes 600 families, 354 in the HSP group and 246 in the control group. Of these, at baseline, approximately 67 percent of mothers were high school graduates, and 49 percent were currently working. Mothers were 44 percent Native Hawaiian, 11 percent Other Pacific Islander, 25 percent Asian, 6 percent white, and 15 percent some other race.
Setting
Six Healthy Start Program sites operated by three community-based organizations in Oahu, Hawaii.
Home Visiting Services
Home visiting services are provided to the mother and, when possible, also to the father. Home visits are weekly in the beginning, then gradually decrease to quarterly meetings, lasting from three to five years. The goal of home visits is to prevent child abuse and promote child health and development by focusing on improved family functioning. After addressing immediate crises, home visitors work on family functioning through role modeling, problem solving, and accessing social services. Home visitors also identify needs for professional support, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, and community resources.
Comparison Conditions
The comparison group was referred to community resources.
Were any subgroups examined?
No
Subgroups examined
• Cohabitation status (lived together or did not live together) • Intimate partner violence (3 or more incidents of physical violence or 2 or fewer incidents)
Findings that rate moderate or high in this manuscript
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternally reported father violence | Years 1-3 | Moderate | 0.15 | Not statistically significant, p = 0.12 | 600 families | All families |
| Outcome measure | Timing of follow-up | Rating | Direction of Effect | Effect size (absolute value) | Stastical significance | Sample size | Sample description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change in father’s engagement score | Years 1-3 | Moderate | 0.97 | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 600 families | All families | ||
| Change in father’s responsibility score | Years 1-3 | Moderate | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 600 families | All families | |||
| Father has daily contact with child | Years 1-3 | Moderate | 0.07 | Not statistically significant, p ≥ 0.05 | 600 families | All families |
This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:
Race/Ethnicity
Maternal Education
Other Characteristics
This study included participants from the following locations:
- Hawaii