The proposed project is a 15-year follow-up of 240 young adults whose families participated in an experimental evaluation of the New Beginnings Program (NBP), a preventive intervention for divorced families. The NBP was provided in late childhood;the follow-up will occur in young adulthood. Families were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: mother program (MP), dual-component mother and child program (MPCP), or literature-control (LC) condition. Programs were designed to change several putative mediators of children's post-divorce mental health problems using empirically-supported change strategies. The program was implemented with very high fidelity and multi-method, multi-reporter assessments were used. Intent-to-treat analyses showed program effects on externalizing problems at posttest and 6-month follow-up. The MPCP did not have additive effects. The 6-year follow-up, which included 91% of families assigned to condition, found multiple benefits of program participation, including a 53% reduction in one-year prevalence of diagnosed mental disorder;reduced levels of externalizing and internalizing problems, alcohol use, and marijuana use;fewer sexual partners;and increased competence and grade point average. Additive effects of the MPCP did not occur. Moderational analyses showed that children who entered NBP with higher levels of risk for later problems showed greater program benefits. Program effects on adolescent outcomes were mediated by improvements in parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems in childhood. This application has four specific aims: (1) Examine the efficacy of NBP on young adults'(YA) mental health and substance use problems and disorders, success in key developmental tasks, relationships with their parents, physical health outcomes and competencies, as well as on the mental health problems of YAs'mothers;(2) Examine whether the program effects in young adulthood are mediated by program- induced changes in adolescence;(3) Examine whether the program effects are moderated by baseline level of risk and parental education and occupation;and (4) Conduct an economic analysis of NBP. Analysis of covariance, mixed-model analysis of variance, logistic regression and latent growth curve modeling will be used to test the aims. The proposed research has important public health significance and is consistent with NIMH priorities to support long-term follow-up of prevention programs (NIMH, 1998).

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH071707-04
Application #
7642277
Study Section
Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)
Program Officer
Goldstein, Amy B
Project Start
2006-09-04
Project End
2012-06-30
Budget Start
2009-07-01
Budget End
2012-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$615,418
Indirect Cost
Name
Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
943360412
City
Tempe
State
AZ
Country
United States
Zip Code
85287
Hagan, Melissa J; Modecki, Kathryn; Moctezuma Tan, Lucy et al. (2018) Binge drinking in adolescence predicts an atypical cortisol stress response in young adulthood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 100:137-144
Christopher, Caroline; Wolchik, Sharlene; Tein, Jenn-Yun et al. (2017) Long-term effects of a parenting preventive intervention on young adults' painful feelings about divorce. J Fam Psychol 31:799-809
Elam, Kit K; Sandler, Irwin; Wolchik, Sharlene et al. (2016) Non-Residential Father-Child Involvement, Interparental Conflict and Mental Health of Children Following Divorce: A Person-Focused Approach. J Youth Adolesc 45:581-93
Luecken, Linda J; Hagan, Melissa J; Wolchik, Sharlene A et al. (2016) A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Child-Reported Maternal Warmth on Cortisol Stress Response 15 Years After Parental Divorce. Psychosom Med 78:163-70
Wolchik, Sharlene A; Tein, Jenn-Yun; Sandler, Irwin N et al. (2016) Developmental cascade models of a parenting-focused program for divorced families on mental health problems and substance use in emerging adulthood. Dev Psychopathol 28:869-88
Hagan, Melissa J; Luecken, Linda J; Modecki, Kathryn L et al. (2016) Childhood negative emotionality predicts biobehavioral dysregulation fifteen years later. Emotion 16:877-85
Luecken, Linda J; Hagan, Melissa J; Mahrer, Nicole E et al. (2015) Effects of a prevention program for divorced families on youth cortisol reactivity 15 years later. Psychol Health 30:751-69
Modecki, Kathryn Lynn; Hagan, Melissa J; Sandler, Irwin et al. (2015) Latent profiles of nonresidential father engagement six years after divorce predict long-term offspring outcomes. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 44:123-36
Herman, Patricia M; Mahrer, Nicole E; Wolchik, Sharlene A et al. (2015) Cost-benefit analysis of a preventive intervention for divorced families: reduction in mental health and justice system service use costs 15 years later. Prev Sci 16:586-96
Mahrer, Nicole E; Winslow, Emily; Wolchik, Sharlene A et al. (2014) Effects of a preventive parenting intervention for divorced families on the intergenerational transmission of parenting attitudes in young adult offspring. Child Dev 85:2091-105

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