Gerald August - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Gerald August

Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2019

The current study utilized a person‐centered approach to explore how self‐regulatory profiles rel... more The current study utilized a person‐centered approach to explore how self‐regulatory profiles relate to conduct problems in an ethnically diverse sample of 197 adolescents referred to juvenile diversion programming. Utilizing a multidomain, multimethod battery of self‐regulation indicators, three common profiles emerged in a latent profile analysis. The profiles represented an Adaptive group, a Cognitively Inflexible group, and an Emotionally Dysregulated group. Group membership was associated with severity and type of conduct problems as well as callous and unemotional traits. The Adaptive group demonstrated lower severity conduct problems when compared to the other groups. The Emotionally Dysregulated group was more likely to commit violent offenses and demonstrated higher levels of some callous and unemotional traits than youth characterized by cognitive inflexibility.

Parenting: Science and Practice, Dec 13, 2019

SYNOPSIS Objective . This study examined the bidirectional relations between effective parenting ... more SYNOPSIS Objective . This study examined the bidirectional relations between effective parenting practices and externalizing problems in children in homeless families. Design . The sample comprised 223 children (M = 8.12 years) in 137 families living in temporary supportive housing, who participated in the Early Risers conduct problems prevention program lasting 2 years. Video-recorded observations of parent-child interactions were collected and rated by trained observers to assess effective parenting practices. Child externalizing problems were reported by their school teachers. Both variables were assessed at baseline prior to intervention and at 1- and 2-year post-baseline. Results . Child externalizing problems at baseline were negatively associated with effective parenting from baseline to year 1 as well as from year 1 to year 2. Observed effective parenting practices at year 1 were negatively associated with child externalizing problems from year 1 to year 2. Conclusions . These findings underscore the presence of bidirectional influence processes between parents and children in high-risk families. Implications for intervention programs for high-risk families are discussed.

Clinical practice in pediatric psychology, Dec 1, 2021

Prevention Science, Apr 29, 2022

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2017

Research has neglected the potential role of perceived parental control as a moderator between st... more Research has neglected the potential role of perceived parental control as a moderator between stressful life events (SLEs) and child internalizing symptoms. Using secondary data from the Early Risers "Skills for Success" Program, this study examined the impact of perceived parental control on the association between SLEs and child internalizing symptoms in formerly homeless families. The sample consisted of 137 families with 223 children between 4 and 12 years of age (M = 8.1, SD = 2.3) living in supportive housing sites in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Participants completed measures assessing the number of SLEs experienced (e.g., unemployment of parent, death of loved one, serious illness, homelessness, etc.), perceived parental control, and child internalizing symptoms. In this sample, 65% of children (n = 144) experienced at least one SLE with an average experience of two events (M = 2.0, SD = 1.9, Range: 0-7 SLEs). A regression analysis found that experiencing more SLEs and a perceived absence of parental control over child behavior were positively associated with child internalizing symptoms. A significant interaction between SLEs and perceived absence of parental control over child behavior in predicting child internalizing symptoms was also found. These findings suggest that children of parents who model appropriate control are more likely to experience fewer internalizing symptoms in response to SLEs. Keywords children; families; homelessness; internalizing symptoms; perceived parental control In 2014, nearly 600,000 people were homeless in the United States (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2015). This estimate includes more than 360,000 individuals and 240,000 families. The average homeless family in the United States consists of a single mother in her mid-to late-twenties with two children (HUD; Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2015). While the causes of homelessness vary, they include stressful life events (SLEs) such as unemployment, loss of a family member or friend, and personal injury (

Advances in prevention science, 2019

An adaptive preventive intervention design approach is an intervention design that uses baseline ... more An adaptive preventive intervention design approach is an intervention design that uses baseline or ongoing information about an individual to make subsequent preventive intervention decisions. Often, the individuals and families served by substance use preventive interventions are widely heterogeneous both in background (e.g., initial risk prior to intervention) and in response to the intervention (e.g., intervention adherence or engagement, or change in risk). Adaptive preventive interventions have the potential to reduce the risk of substance use and abuse for a greater number of individuals, relative to one-intervention-for-all approaches to prevention, because they respond to this heterogeneity. An important framework in prevention science distinguishes between universal, selective, and indicated intervention tiers or components. The first contribution of this chapter is to illustrate different types of adaptive preventive interventions and describe how they fit within the universal, selective, and indicated framework. Specifically, we will illustrate, via four examples, how adaptive preventive interventions may lead to a sequence of interventions within or across these categories. The second contribution of this chapter responds to the growing interest in the use of sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) designs as a tool for addressing open scientific questions that prevention scientists confront when developing adaptive preventive interventions.

SpringerBriefs in psychology, 2017

Efforts to support positive parenting among homeless families are critical for promoting the ment... more Efforts to support positive parenting among homeless families are critical for promoting the mental health and developmental needs of children exposed to homelessness. Psychosocial preventive interventions seeking to improve parenting practices and child outcomes can make an important contribution in this regard, yet further research is needed to investigate the effects of such programs. In particular, little is known about which subgroups are most likely to benefit from intervention programming. The purpose of this study was to identify which child and parent characteristics predict differential responses to the Early Risers intervention among formerly homeless families residing in supportive housing. Data were derived from a cluster-randomized effectiveness trial in which supportive housing sites were randomized to the Early Risers intervention condition or treatment as usual. Child behavior problems, parental depression, parenting self-efficacy, and parent–child attachment were each examined as moderators influencing change in observed ineffective discipline practices across four waves of longitudinal data. Multilevel latent growth modeling revealed significant interaction effects for both child behavior problems and parental depression. For parents in the intervention condition, those reporting more child behavior problems at baseline showed greater reductions in ineffective discipline over the course of the study than parents reporting less child behavior problems. Similarly, parents with higher initial levels of depression showed greater parenting improvements in response to the intervention condition than did less depressed parents. These findings could have important implications for targeting families most likely to benefit from intervention participation.

Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Oct 1, 1984

Journal of School Psychology, Feb 1, 2018

With the growing adoption and implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in school ... more With the growing adoption and implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in school settings, there is increasing need for rigorous evaluations of adaptive-sequential interventions. That is, MTSS specify universal, selected, and indicated interventions to be delivered at each tier of support, yet few investigations have empirically examined the continuum of supports that are provided to students both within and across tiers. This need is compounded by a variety of prevention approaches that have been developed with distinct theoretical foundations (e.g., Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Social-Emotional Learning) that are available within and across tiers. As evidence-based interventions continue to flourish, schoolbased practitioners greatly need evaluations regarding optimal treatment sequencing. To this end, we describe adaptive treatment strategies as a natural fit within the MTSS framework. Specifically, sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMART) offer a promising empirical approach to rigorously develop and compare adaptive treatment regimens within this framework.

School Mental Health, 2016

In order to prevent iatrogenic effects associated with interventions that aggregate youth with be... more In order to prevent iatrogenic effects associated with interventions that aggregate youth with behavior problems and to promote the integration of these youth into normative peer groups, a comprehensive evidence-based prevention program, Early Risers ''Skills for Success'' (August et al. in Preventing substance abuse: science-based programs for children and adolescents, American Psychological Association, Washington, 2007), was augmented to include well-adjusted children in a strategic peer affiliation component, or buddy system. A total of 190 kindergartners and first graders from five schools in a Midwestern US city were randomly assigned by school to receive the program or serve as controls. In the first summer program component, the children received 72 h of programming in academics, social skills, and creative arts, all within a highly structured social environment. The feasibility of the program was investigated through examination of acceptability, fidelity, and safety of programming, with special attention to acceptability and safety for well-adjusted peer mentors. Results showed that intervention fidelity, as measured by independent observers, was high. Acceptability was high as well, with no differences in attendance between well-adjusted children and children with behavioral problems. There was no evidence of iatrogenic effects or other unsafe outcomes: Peer-reported victimization did not increase, and well-adjusted children did not increase in aggression. In contrast, both well-adjusted children and their peers with behavior problems increased in teacher-rated social skills, and well-adjusted children increased in leadership. The results suggest that the pairing of welladjusted children with behavior-problem children in a highly structured program such as Early Risers is a feasible program tactic in which the well-adjusted children may also derive some benefit.

Preventing youth substance abuse: Science-based programs for children and adolescents., 2007

Abstract 1. This chapter describes the conceptual, operational, and empirical bases of the Early ... more Abstract 1. This chapter describes the conceptual, operational, and empirical bases of the Early Risers&quot; Skills for Success&quot; Program. It begins with a review of the developmental risk model that underpins the intervention, follows with a description of the intervention model, and concludes with a summary of the results of an ongoing validation trial. Danny is a child who is at elevated risk for developing conduct problems and substance abuse in his teen and adult years. However, he is at an age at which early preventive intervention might ...

Developmental Neuropsychology, 1993

Page 1. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, 1993, 9(3 & 4), 207-224 Copyright © 1993, Lawrence... more Page 1. DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, 1993, 9(3 & 4), 207-224 Copyright © 1993, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Processing of Emotional Information in Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ...

Long-term homelessness is associated with other psychosocial risk factors (e.g., adult mental ill... more Long-term homelessness is associated with other psychosocial risk factors (e.g., adult mental illness, substance abuse, and exposure to violence). All of these factors are associated with impairments in parenting effectiveness and child adjustment, but there are very limited data investigating parenting among families who are homeless and highly mobile. In particular, there is no literature examining the relationships among observed parenting, parental mental health, and child adjustment in a supportive housing sample. Data are reported from a multimethod study of 200 children in 127 families residing in supportive housing agencies in a large metro area. Observed parenting and parents ’ mental health symptoms directly affected children’s adjustment. The influence of parenting self-efficacy on children’s adjustment was mediated through its impact on observed parenting. However, observed parenting did not mediate the relationship between parental mental health and child adjustment. Im...

Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, Jan 20, 2018

Empowering consumers to be active decision-makers in their own care is a core tenet of personaliz... more Empowering consumers to be active decision-makers in their own care is a core tenet of personalized, or precision medicine. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on intervention preferences in families seeking interventions for a child with behavior problems. Specifically, the evidence is inconclusive as to whether providing parents with choice of intervention improves child/youth outcomes (i.e., reduces externalizing problems). In this study, 129 families presenting to community mental health clinics for child conduct problems were enrolled in a doubly randomized preference study and initially randomized to choice or no-choice conditions. Families assigned to the choice condition were offered their choice of intervention from among three different formats of the Parent Management Training-Oregon Model/PMTO (group, individual clinic, home based) and services-as-usual (child-focused therapy). Those assigned to the no-choice condition were again randomized, to one of the four int...

Journal of marital and family therapy, Jan 9, 2018

A pilot, doubly randomized preference trial was conducted to investigate the impact of providing ... more A pilot, doubly randomized preference trial was conducted to investigate the impact of providing parents preferences on parenting outcomes. Families with children having conduct problems were randomly assigned to a choice group in which they received their preferred treatment among the four intervention options or a no-choice group in which they were randomized assigned to one of the four options. Results of mixed-effects models showed that parents in the choice group who selected Parent Management Training-Oregon Model (PMTO) had better parenting outcomes over time compared to parents in the choice group who selected child therapy. It highlights the importance of incorporating parent preferences in the delivery of evidence-based treatments.

Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, Jan 11, 2018

Parenting programs are an effective strategy to prevent multiple risky outcomes during adolescenc... more Parenting programs are an effective strategy to prevent multiple risky outcomes during adolescence. However, these programs usually enroll one caregiver and have low attendance. This study evaluated the preliminary results, cost, and satisfaction of adaptive recruitment and parenting interventions for immigrant Latino families. A mixed methods study was conducted integrating a pre-post design with embedded qualitative and process evaluations. Fifteen immigrant Latino families with an adolescent child aged 10-14 were recruited. Two-caregiver families received a home visit to increase enrollment of both caregivers. All families participated in an adaptive parenting program that included group sessions and a one-to-one component (online videos plus follow-up telephone calls) for those who did not attend the group sessions. The intervention addressed positive parenting practices using a strengths-based framework. Primary outcomes were the proportion of two-parent families recruited and ...

Development and Psychopathology, 2016