Dr. Joseph Price (Professor of Psychology) received $162, 394 in grant money for his research on Teens’ Risk During Transition: Preventing Drug Use, HIV, and School Problems. His work is based on the fact that early initiation of drug use, participation in health-risking sexual behavior (HRSB), and serious school difficulties are common among youth in foster care. The primary aim of the randomized effectiveness trial is to examine the impact of the LINKS intervention in reducing risk for these maladaptive outcomes among youth in foster care as they enter middle school.
For those youth and families assigned to the LINKS intervention, caregivers receive 16 weeks of parent training and youth receive 14 weeks of individual mentoring. Outcomes in two key areas are examined at 9 and 18 month follow-ups including: (a) behavioral health outcomes (drug and tobacco use, health-risking sexual behavior, delinquency, and mental health symptoms), and (b) school adjustment outcomes (attendance, grades, test scores, homework completion, and school disciplinary incidences). This effectiveness trial integrates and links the goals of the San Diego Child Welfare System and school districts in San Diego County. This study is being conducted in collaboration with the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene, OR.