| The goal of this
secondary analysis of data collected in the Prenatal/Early Infancy
Project, a randomized clinical trial involving high-risk mothers
and their first children in the late 1970's and early 1980's, is to
determine the long-term impact of a comprehensive program of nurse
home-visitations on the prevention of child abuse and neglect and
foster care placement. The earlier study enrolled 400 pregnant
women, of whom 85 percent had one or more specific sociodemographic
characteristics that put their children at risk for child
maltreatment. Four treatment conditions were included in the study:
(1) screening and referrals for sensory and developmental delays of
the children at ages 1 and 2 years, (2) free transportation to
prenatal and well-child care at local clinics, (3) nurse home
visitor services during pregnancy, and (4) continuation of visits
until the children reached 2 years old. Previous analyses of data
have documented positive effects. In this study, the researchers
will distinguish between physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect
to determine whether the intervention reduced the risk of all or
specific types of maltreatment. The researchers also will examine
foster care records to determine if comprehensive home visitation
services can reduce the likelihood of placement among high-risk
families and children. Whether the child was ever placed in foster
care, the total duration of placements, the number of placements,
the age of placements, terminations of parental rights, and court
appearances will be examined. This study also will investigate
questions such as whether the treatment yields positive effects
only during childhood or for longer periods and whether the
treatment effects observed in childhood become larger over time.
Finally, the study will explore alternative pathways related to the
impact of the treatment in reducing risk factors. |
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