This study describes the development and validation of the Group Climate Instrument for Children aged 8 to 15 years (GCIC 8-15), which purports to measure the quality of group climate in residential care.
Methods:
A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on data of 117 children in Dutch residential youth care. Reliability analysis was performed and concurrent validity was tested.
Results:
An adequate fit of a two-factor model indicated construct validity of the GCIC 8-15. Reliability coefficients were good, and a significant correlation between perceived group climate and treatment motivation supported concurrent validity.
Discussion:
The GCIC 8-15 can be used to identify positive and negative aspects of group climate in residential youth care and enables further group climate research with children.
AraújoD.DavidsK.PassosP. (2007). Ecological validity, representative design, and correspondence between experimental task constraints and behavioural setting: Comments on Rogers, Kadar, and Costall (2005). Ecological Psychology, 19, 69–78. doi:10.1080/10407410709336951
2.
BastiaanssenI. L.KroesG.NijhofK. S.DelsingM. J. M. H.EngelsR. C. M. E.VeermanJ. W. (2012). Measuring group care worker interventions in residential youth care. Child Youth Care Forum, 41, 447–460. doi:10.1007/s10566-012-9176-8
3.
BoendermakerL.Van RooijenK.BergT. (2012). Residentiële jeugdzorg: Wat werkt? [Residential Youth Care: What Works?]. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Nederlands Jeugdinstituut.
4.
CashmoreJ. (2002). Promoting the participation of children and young people in care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 837–847. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(02)oo353-8
5.
ChanceS.DicksonD.BennettP. M.StoneS. (2010). How fundamental changes in residential care can improve the ways we help children and families. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 27, 127–148. doi:10.1080/08865711003738522
6.
ChorK. H. B.McClellandG. M.WeinerD. A.JordanN.LyonsJ. S. (2012). Predicting outcomes of children in residential treatment: A comparison of a decision support algorithm and a multidisciplinary team decision model. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 2345–2352. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.08.016
7.
CunninghamW. S.DuffeeD. E.HuangY.SteinkeC. M.NaccaratoT. (2009). On the meaning and measurement of engagement in youth residential treatment centers. Research on Social Work Practice, 19, 63–76. doi:10.1177/1049731508314505
8.
DalyW. (2009). Adding their flavour to the mix: Involving children and young people in care in research design. Australian Social Work, 62, 460–475. doi:10.1080/03124070903265732
9.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
10.
De JonghT.Van der HelmG. H. P.StamsG. J. J. M. (2013). Treatment motivation in incarcerated adolescents, a longitudinal study. Manuscript submitted for publication.
11.
DoroshowD. B. (2012). The progressive past of residential treatment of emotionally disturbed children. Pediatrics, 129, 607–608. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2250
12.
FishbeinD.SheppardM. (2006). Assessing the role of neurophysiological functioning in inmates treatment response. Baltimore, MD: RTI International.
13.
FrameL.BerrickJ.D.BrodoivskiM. L. (2000). Understanding reentry to out-of-home care for reunified infants. Child Welfare, 79, 339–369.
14.
FrenschK. M.CameronG. (2002). Treatment of choice or a last resort? A review of residential mental health placements for children and youth. Child and Youth Care Forum, 31, 307–339. doi:10.1023/A:1016826627406
15.
FulcherL. (2001). Differential assessment of residential group care for children and young people. British Journal of Social Work, 31, 417–435. doi:10.1093/bjsw/31.3.417
16.
HarderA. T. (2011). The downside up? A study of factors associated with a successful course of treatment for adolescents in secure residential care. Groningen, The Netherlands: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
17.
HarveyJ. (2005). Young men in prison. Surviving and adapting to life inside. Cullompton, England: Willan.
18.
HeynenE.Van der HelmG. H. P.KorebritsA.StamsG. J. J. M. (2013). Measuring group climate in a German youth prison: A German validation of the Prison Group Climate Instrument (PGCI). Manuscript submitted for publication.
19.
HöfteS. J.Van der HelmG. H. P.StamsG. J. J. M. (2012). Het internationaal recht en de gesloten jeugdzorg: Adviezen voor de praktijk [International justice and secure residential care: Practice advice]. Justitiële verkenningen, 6, 84–99.
20.
HuL. T.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indices in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. doi: 10.1080/10705519909540118
21.
HuefnerJ. C.JamesS.RingleJ.ThompsonR. W.DalyD. L. (2010). Patterns of movement for youth within an integrated continuum of residential services. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 867–864. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.02.005
22.
HurleyK. D.ShawT.ThompsonR.GriffithA.FarmerE. M.TierneyJ. (2008). Assessing staff competence at implementing a multifaceted residential program for youth: Development and initial psychometrics of a staff observation form. Residential Treatment For Children & Youth, 23, 83–104. doi:10.1080/08865710609512718
23.
JongepierN.StruijkM. (2008). Residentiële jeugdzorg, een vak apart. Tijd voor herwaardering van het pedagogisch basisklimaat [Residential youth care, no easy job. Time to renew appreciation of the pedagogical group climate]. Jeugd en Co, 4, 19–25.
24.
KelleyS. D.Vides de AndradeA. R.ShefferE.BickmanL. (2010). Exploring the black box: Measuring youth treatment process and progress in usual care. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 37, 287–300. doi:10.1007/s10488-010-0298-8
25.
KlineR. B. (2005). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling(2nd ed) New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
26.
LeeB. R.McMillenJ. C. (2008). Measuring quality in residential treatment for children and youth. Residential Treatment For Children & Youth, 24, 1–17. doi:10.1080/08865710802146622
27.
LieblingA.MarunaS. (2005). Introduction: The effects of imprisonment revisited. In LieblingA.MarunaS. (Eds.), The effects of imprisonment (pp. 1–32). Cullompton, England: Willian Publishing.
28.
LittleM. (1990). Young men in prison. Worcester, England: Billing & Sons.
29.
MarshallW. L.BurtonD. L. (2010). The importance of group processes in offender treatment. Agression and Violent Behavior, 15, 141–149. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2009.08.008
30.
MatthysW.CuperusJ. M.MaassenG. H.Van EngelandH. (2000). The assessment of the situational specificity of children’s problem behaviour in peer-peer context. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 413–420. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00734
31.
MiersA. C. (2010). Bias or reality? Negative perceptions of ambiguous social cues, social performance and physical arousal in socially anxious youth. Leiden, The Netherlands: Leiden University.
32.
MillerW. R.RollnickS. (2012). Meeting in the middle: Motivational interviewing and self-determination theory. Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 25–26. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-25
33.
MuthénL. K.MuthénB. O. (1998). Mplus user’s guide. Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
34.
NelsonR. J.TrainorB. C. (2007). Neural mechanisms of aggression. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8, 536–546. doi:10.1038/nrn2174
35.
NijhofK. S. (2010). Children with severe behaviour problems: Evaluation of a new residential treatment program. Nijmegen, The Netherlands: Radboud Universiteit.
36.
PazaratzD. (2000). Training youth workers in residential treatment. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, 18, 35–56. doi:10.1300/J007v18n01_03
37.
Riksen-WalravenJ. M. A. (2004). Pedagogische kwaliteit in de kinderopvang: Doelstellingen en kwaliteitscriteria [High quality pedagogical child care: Goals and criteria]. In Van IJzendoornM. H.TavecchioL. W. C.Riksen-WalravenJ. M. A. (Eds.), De kwaliteit van de Nederlands kinderopvang [Quality of child care in the Netherlands] (pp. 11–30). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Boom.
38.
RosN.Van der HelmG. H. P.WissinkI.SchaftenaarP.StamsG. J. J. M. (2013). Institutional climate and aggression in a secure psychiatric setting. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, 24, 713–727.
39.
ScholteE. M.Van der PloegJ. D. (2006). Residential treatment of adolescents with severe behavioural problems. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 641–654. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.05.010
40.
SchubertC. A.MulveyE. P.LoughranT. A.LosoyaS. H. (2012). Perceptions of institutional experience and community outcomes for serious adolescent offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39, 71–94. doi:10.1177/0093854811426710
41.
SenR.BroadhurstK. (2011), Contact between children in out-of-home placements and their family and friends networks: A research review. Child and Family Social Work, 16, 298–309. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00741.x
42.
SouvereinF.StamsG. J. J. MVan der HelmG. H. P. (2013). The enduring myth of “nothing works” in secure residential and correctional youth care. Children and Youth Services Review.
43.
SunseriP. A. (2001). The prediction of unplanned discharge from residential treatment. Child & Youth Care Forum, 30, 283–303. doi:10.1023/A:1014477327436
44.
SunseriP. A. (2005). Children referred to residential care: Reducing multiple placements, managing costs and improving treatment outcomes. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 22, 55–66. doi:10.1300/J007v22n03_04
45.
Tarren-SweeneyM. (2007). The Assessment Checklist for Children (ACC): A behavioural rating scale for children in foster, kinship and residential care. Children and Youth Services Review, 29, 672–691. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.01.008
46.
Tarren-SweeneyM. (2012). The Assessment Checklist for Adolescents (ACA): A scale for measuring the mental health of young people in foster, kinship, residential and adoptive care. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 384–393. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.12.005
47.
TochH. (2008). Punitiveness as “behavior management”. Criminal Justice and Behaviour, 35, 388–397. doi:10.1177/0093854807309427
48.
TochH.KupersT. A. (2007). Violence in prisons, revisited. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 45, 1–28. doi:10.1300/J076v45n03_01
49.
UliandoA.MellorD. (2012). Maltreatment in out-of-home care: A review of associated factors and outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 2280–2286. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.08.003
50.
Van der HelmG. H. P. (2011). First do no harm: Living group climate in secure juvenile correctional institutions. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Uitgeverij SPW.
51.
Van der HelmG. H. P.KlapwijkM.StamsG. J. J. M.Van der LaanP. H. (2009). “What Works” for juvenile prisoners: The role of group climate in a youth prison. Journal of Children’s Services, 4, 36–48.doi: 10.1108/17466660200900011
52.
Van der HelmG. H. P.StamsG. J. J. M. (2012). Conflict and coping by clients and group workers in secure residential facilities. In OeiK.GroenhuizenM. (Eds.), Progression in Forensic Psychiatry: About Boundaries. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Kluwer.
53.
Van der HelmG. H. P.StamsG. J. J. M.Van der LaanP. H. (2011). Measuring group climate in prison. The Prison Journal, 91, 158–177. doi:10.1177/0032885511403595
54.
Van der HelmG. H. P.StamsG. J. J. M.Van GenabeekM.Van der LaanP. H. (2012). Group climate, personality, and self-reported aggression in incarcerated male youth. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 23, 23–39. doi:10.1080/14789949.2011.633615
55.
Van der HelmG. H. P.WissinkI. B.De JonghT.StamsG. J. J. M. (2013). Measuring treatment motivation in secure juvenile facilities. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57, 996–1008. doi:10.1177/0306624X12443798
56.
Van IJzendoornM. H. (2008). Opvoeding over de grens. Gehechtheid, trauma en veerkracht [Childrearing across borders: Attachment, trauma and resilience]. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Boom Academic.
57.
WeiszJ. R.ChorpitaB. F.FryeA.Yi NgM.LauN.BearmanS. K.UguetoA. M.LangerD. A.HoagwoodK. E. (2011). Youth top problems: Using ideographic, consumer-guided assessment to identify treatment needs and to track change during psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79, 369–380. doi:10.1037/a0023307
58.
WhiteH. R.ShiJ.HirshfieldP.MunE. I.LoeberE. R. (2009). Effects of institutional confinement for delinquency on levels of anxiety and depression among male adolescents. Research in Crime and Delinquency, 8, 295–313. doi:10.1177/1541204009358657
59.
WrightK. (1991). A study of individual, environmental, and interactive effects in explaining adjustment to prison. Justice Quarterly, 8, 218–242. doi:10.1080/07418829100091011
60.
WrightK.GoodsteinL. (1989). Correctional environments. In GoodsteinL.McKenzieD. (Eds.), The American prison (pp. 253–270). New York, NY: Plenum.
61.
ZegersM. A. M.SchuengelC.Van IJzendoornM. H.JanssensM. A. M. (2008). Attachment and problem behavior of adolescents during residential treatment. Attachment & Human Development, 10, 91–103. doi:10.1080/14616730701868621
