Tag Archives: Adolescents

Gender Differences in What Works for Interventions With Boys and Girls

Sep 4, Child Trends: Girls and boys face different developmental challenges throughout childhood and adolescence. Although a number of evidence-based programs have been found to be effective at reducing risk factors for children and adolescents, many programs have differential impacts for girls and boys. Understanding what works for girls and what works for boys is critical to improving youth outcomes. Child Trends’ latest research briefs, What Works for Female Children and Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions, and its companion brief focused on boys, What Works for Male Children and Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions, examine programs and strategies that work, as well as those that don’t, for each gender. These literature reviews consider random assignment studies of interventions targeting males or females, as well as studies of both that include outcome data by gender. Compared to boys, girls tend to report more mental health problems and they are susceptible to reproductive health risks, such as unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Compared with girls, boys tend to be more likely to drop out of school, engage in delinquency, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and act out. They are also less likely than females to go to college.
Link to pdf Research Brief: What Works for Female Children and Adolescents
Link to pdf Research Brief: What Works for Male Children and Adolescents

Which Disadvantaged And Adolescent Parenting Programs Work

Aug, 2012; Child Trends: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Programs and Interventions for Children. This Fact Sheet reviews 20 parenting programs that are geared toward enhancing the parent’s development and/or educating disadvantaged and teenage mothers on effective parenting methods. Each program was evaluated in a random-assignment study. Of the 11 programs that measured child outcomes, eight programs found at least one positive impact on a child outcome area. In addition, of the 19 programs that measured parent outcomes, ten programs found at least one positive impact on parent outcomes. Link to pdf Fact Sheet.

National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being: NSCAW II Wave 2 Report

2012: US Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. The second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) is a longitudinal study intended to answer a range of fundamental questions about the functioning, service needs, and service use of children who come in contact with the child welfare system. Wave 2 is a follow-up of children and families approximately 18 months after the close of the NSCAW I index investigation. Data collection for the second wave of the study began in October 2009 and was completed in January 2011.
Link to pdf Report

Improving The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults: Out-Of-School Time Programs That Have Significant Positive Impacts

July 2012, Child Trends: The Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully (LINKS) database aims to help decision makers identify the most effective out-of-school time programs and avoid programs that do not work. LINKS is an online compendium of more than 575 experimental evaluations of social interventions for children and young adults. This fact sheet highlights programs for adolescents and/or young adults that have relatively sizeable impacts for at least one outcome. This Fact Sheet, identifies out-of-school time programs for adolescents or young adults that have statistically significant positive impacts on select outcome categories. Outcome categories include behavior problems, substance use, reproductive health, social-emotional health, life skills, education, and physical health. Link to pdf Fact Sheet