ERIC Number: EJ1036035
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Apr
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: N/A
A Randomized Controlled Study of a Group Intervention Program to Enhance Mental Health of Children of Illegal Migrant Workers
Meir, Yael; Slone, Michelle; Levis, Mira
Child & Youth Care Forum, v43 n2 p165-180 Apr 2014
Background: The social-ecological environment of undocumented children of migrant workers includes varying levels of risk factors. Growing up in these conditions compromises children's development on all levels. Many of these children are in need of psychotherapy, however, due to limited resources, only a few of them receive mental health aid. Objective: The present research undertook to construct and examine the effectiveness of a specialized group intervention program to enhance children's self-efficacy and mental health. Methods: Participants were 70 children aged 8-12 of illegal migrant workers in Israel. The repeated measures design included completion of a self-efficacy scale and emotional, behavioral and social difficulties child-report and teacher-report measures. Children were randomly allocated to either an intervention or control group. Results: The first hypotheses predicting a greater improvement in self-efficacy between the pre-test and post-test for children in the intervention as opposed to control group was confirmed. The second hypothesis predicting a greater reduction in the self- and teacher-reports of emotional, social and behavioral difficulties was confirmed. The third hypothesis predicting a moderating relation between self-efficacy, group type and time on the dependent variables was confirmed only for children's self-report of their difficulties. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of this short term playful intervention program for this group of disadvantaged children, suggesting its application to other at-risk groups of children.
Descriptors: Social Influences, Undocumented Immigrants, Migrant Workers, At Risk Persons, Child Development, Intervention, Self Efficacy, Mental Health, Children, Foreign Countries, Emotional Development, Child Behavior, Emotional Problems, Behavior Problems, Interpersonal Competence, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Hypothesis Testing, Predictor Variables, Pretests Posttests, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Comparative Analysis, Program Effectiveness, Disadvantaged Youth
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2189
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A