Research Protocol: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Functional Family Therapy: An Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) Partnership between Croydon Council and Queen's University Belfast

The paper presents a protocol for ‘A Randomized Controlled Trial of Functional Family Therapy (FFT): An Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) Partnership between Croydon Council and Queen's University Belfast’. The protocol describes a trial that uses FFT as an alternative intervention to current use of the youth justice system and local authority care with the aim of reducing crime/recidivism in young people referred to Croydon Council. The trial will take place over a period of 36 months and will involve up to 154 families. Croydon Council will employ a team of five Functional Family Therapists who will work with families to promote effective outcomes. The Centre for Effective Education at Queen’s University Belfast will act as independent evaluators of outcomes for families and young people. The work is supported from the United Kingdom Economic & Social Research Council/Early Intervention Foundation Grant Number ES/M006921/1.

Substance Use and Misuse : Adolescent Substance Use in the context of the family ; a qualitative study of young people's views on parent child attachments , parenting style and parental substance use

Introduction and Aims. While the role of the family in adolescent substance use has been well documented, few studies have attempted to explore in-depth youth perceptions of how these familial processes/dynamics influence teenage substance use. This paper reports the findings from a study exploring risk and protective factors for teenage substance use within the context of the family as perceived by young people with a view to informing current and future family based prevention and education interventions.
Design and Methods. Data collection took place in nine post-primary schools across Northern Ireland. Nine focus groups using participatory techniques were facilitated with a purposive sample of sixty-two young people (age 13-17 years). Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a content/thematic analysis.
Results. Three broad themes/aspects of the family emerged from the data, which may serve to protect or attenuate the risk of substance use among young people. Parent-child attachment was a major theme identified in protecting adolescents from substance use in addition to effective parenting particularly an authoritative style of parenting supplemented by parental monitoring and good parent-child communication to encourage child disclosure. Family substance use was deemed to impact on children’s substance use if exposed at an early age and the harms associated with PSM were discussed in detail.
Discussion and Conclusions. The qualitative approach provides insight into current understanding of youth perceptions of substance use in the context of family dynamics. A number of recommendations are outlined. Family based (preventive) interventions/parenting programmes may benefit from components on effective parenting including authoritative styles, parental monitoring, effective communication, spending time together (building attachments), parent-child conflict, adolescent development and factors which impact on parenting. Parenting programmes tailored to mothers and fathers may be beneficial. School based interventions targeting children/adolescents may be best placed to target children living with parental substance misuse.
Keywords: substance/substance related disorders, focus groups, young people/adolescent,

Adolescent substance use in the context of the family: a qualitative study of young people’s views on parent-child attachments, parenting style and parental substance use

Background: Adolescent substance use can place youth at risk of a range of poor outcomes. Few studies have attempted to explore in-depth young people’s perceptions of how familial processes and dynamics influence adolescent substance use.
Objectives: This paper aimed to explore risk and protective factors for youth substance use within the context of the family with a view to informing family based interventions.
Methods: Nine focus groups supplemented with participatory techniques were facilitated with a purposive sample of sixty-two young people (age 13-17 years) from post-primary schools across Northern Ireland. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes emerged from the data: 1) parent-child attachments, 2) parenting style and 3) parental and sibling substance misuse. Parent-child attachment was identified as an important factor in protecting adolescents from substance use in addition to effective parenting particularly an authoritative style supplemented with parental monitoring and strong parent-child communication to encourage child disclosure. Family substance use was considered to impact on children’s substance use if exposed at an early age and the harms associated with parental substance misuse were discussed in detail. Both parent and child gender differences were cross-cutting themes.
Conclusion: Parenting programmes (tailored to mothers and fathers) may benefit young people via components on authoritative styles, parental monitoring, communication, nurturing attachments and parent-child conflict. Youth living with more complex issues, e.g. parental substance misuse, may benefit from programmes delivered beyond the family environment e.g. school based settings.

Characteristics of change triggered temper outbursts in children with PWS and ASD and how these may impact on the efficacy of behavioural intervention strategies.

Background
Temper outbursts are prevalent in individuals with PWS and are often triggered by unexpected changes to routines or plans. However, such outbursts are also common in individuals with several other neurodevelopmental disorders, including those with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared the profile of temper outbursts in children with PWS to that in children with ASD. We examined whether differences in the temper outburst profile predicted differences in the outcomes of two caregiver led intervention strategies aiming to reduce change triggered outbursts.
Methods and results
Thirteen 7-15 year olds with PWS – taking part in a larger study involving 60 children evidencing temper outbursts following changes – were individually matched for age to children with ASD (mean ages: 10.70; 10.76 yrs). Caregivers participated in a structured/semi-structured interview on children's outbursts; completed a web-based outburst diary over a 6 month baseline; and are currently using either a change signalling intervention to reliably warn children of forthcoming changes; or a planning ahead intervention to reduce children's exposure to unexpected changes.
As reported at interview, on average, children with PWS showed more frequent temper outbursts than those with ASD (closer to daily vs. weekly). For seven children with PWS and six with ASD, 60% or more of their temper outbursts were reported to be triggered by changes. Whilst outbursts had similar durations when triggered by changes or by other events in children with PWS; change triggered outbursts in children with ASD were generally shorter. The most commonly reported outburst components in children with PWS included indicators of heightened emotional arousal but this was not the case for children with ASD. Data on behavioural change associated with each of the intervention strategies will be discussed.
Conclusions
Change triggered temper outbursts can be a problem for children PWS and ASD, however subtle differences appear to exist in the profile of these outbursts. Some of these differences may be relevant for the expected efficacy of different behavioural intervention strategies that target outbursts.
Summary
Temper outbursts (tantrums) were compared in children with PWS or autism spectrum disorder before and during use of one of two helping strategies. Helping strategies were led by caregivers and aimed to reduce outbursts that follow changes to routines or plans by making such changes more predictable, or by reducing the quantity of changes. Characteristics of outbursts may be important to help us predict which helping strategies may be most effective.

The effects of job demands and low job control on work-family conflict: The role of fairness in decision making and management

The present study examined whether Perceptions of organizational fairness (the procedural and interactional components) were able to diminish the negative effects of high job demands and low job control on the balance between work and family. The study participants were 713 women working in long-term care for elderly people in Finland. The results showed that high job demands, low job control, and unfair decision making were associated with high levels of time-based work interference with family (WIF). Perceptions of organizational fairness were found to partially mediate the association between Job control and WIF In addition, fair treatment and management protected against WIF when demands were low but were unable to bluffer against the negative effects of high job demands. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.