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Predicting Trainee Success

Jason Gold, Ph.D.Center Mental Health ConsultantEdison Job Corps CenterEdison, New Jersey

Robert-Wood Johnson Medical SchoolDepartment of Pediatrics & PsychiatryNew Brunswick, New Jersey

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The Problem Adolescents in poverty are 6 times more likely

to drop out of school than their higher-income peers (US Dept. of Census, 2002)

School dropout has been linked to unemployment (McCaul et al., 1992), health problems (Karoly, 2000), psychopathology (Kaplan

et al., 1994) and incarceration (ETS, 1995) Minority youth, in urban areas, are at

particularly high risk for school drop out (Orfield

et al., 2004)

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The Solution

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Does mental health impact success?Three research questions:

1. Which factors put trainees most at-risk?

2. How do we target interventions that will help trainees successfully complete their training?

3. How effective is mental health intervention in fostering success for at-risk trainees?

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Participants The participants were 128 trainees (67

male; 61 female; ages 16 to 24; M = 18.7, SD = 2.2) enrolled in Edison Job Corps program within a 4-month period in 2007

48% of subjects were African American,

46% were Hispanic/Latino, and 6% were of White/European ancestry

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Method Data was collected from trainees’ Social

Intake Forms (SIF), which are administered in an interview format

Information concerning successful completion of the program was gathered from trainees’ records

Information regarding trainees’ that had received mental health services were collected from the CMHC case roster

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Question 1:Which factors put trainees

most at-risk?

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Percent of mental health problems: Non-completers (n =75) vs.

Completers (n = 53)

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20

30

40

50

60

70

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Question 1: Which factors put trainees most at-risk?

For our center, in this sample, the answer appears to be:

Exposure to physical or sexual abuse Adolescent substance abuse Aggressive behavior

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Consistent with the Literature Adolescents exposed to physical and/or

sexual abuse are at high risk for failing to complete their educations (Bravender, 2008)

Multiple studies have associated adolescent substance abuse with school failure (Fergusson, et al., 2003)

Strong links also have been found between aggressive behavior and school dropout (Veronneau et al., 2008)

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Question 2: How do we target

interventions that will help trainees successfully complete their training?

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General mediation model between physical and/or sexual abuse, substance abuse, aggression and completion of Job Corps training

Conceptual model

Physical and/or Sexual Abuse

Substance Abuse

Aggression Completion of

Job Corps Training

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Results: Direct effects

Trainees exposed to more parental abuse and those with substance abuse problems had greater difficulty completing the program

Parental abuse and adolescent substance abuse were associated with more aggression

Adolescents with more aggression had greater problems completing the program

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Results: Indirect effects

Figure 2. Standardized beta weights of regressions of parental abuse, substance abuse, aggression and completion of training.

β = .24, p = .02

β = .18, p = .02

r = .08

β = .44, p = .005Physical and/or Sexual abuse

Substance Abuse

Aggression Completion of

Job Corps Training

β = .20, p = .10

β = .13, p = .02

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Results: Indirect effects Physical and/or sexual abuse and substance

abuse were related to higher aggression and higher aggression was related to failures in completing the training program

The indirect path that explained the association between parental abuse, adolescent substance abuse, aggression, and program completion was significant (F = .1231, 90% CI = .0187 to .1311, p < .001)

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Question 2: How do we target interventions that will help

trainees successfully complete their training?

In our population, in this sample, results suggest that targeted interventions designed to reduce aggression (i.e., anger management, conflict resolution)—rather than issues like depression or low self-esteem—would help a greater number of students successfully complete their training

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Question 3: How effective is mental

health intervention in fostering success in trainees

with mental health problems?

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Successful completion: The role of mental health treatment Overall, trainees seen for mental health

follow-up were at higher risk for failing to complete their training then the general population.

To determine the effectiveness of mental health treatment, we analyzed high-risk students (i.e., those reporting 5 or more wellness related risk factors), who received counseling vs. those who did not

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High-risk trainees who received services vs. those who did not

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35

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45

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no counseling received counseling

Did not receive counseling: 29% completed their training successfully

Received counseling: 43% of trainees successfully completed their Job Corps training

Percent differences were calculated

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Question 3: How effective is mental health intervention in fostering success in trainees with mental health problems?

At our center, in this sample: High-risk trainees who received counseling

services are 33% more likely to successfully complete their training program than those who did not.

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Conclusion Using information from the SIF, CIS and the

mental health treatment roster we found:

1. Histories of poly-substance abuse, exposure to physical or sexual abuse and aggressive behavior put trainees at higher risk for failure

2. An evidence-base for interventions that target the key risk factors that impact completion (i.e., anger management)

3. High-risk trainees who received counseling services complete their training at significantly higher levels than those who did not

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Limitations Small scale data collection Prevalence of self-report measures Given the demographics of our center (i.e.,

the fact that trainees come from urban locations with high-rates of community violence, poor school systems, etc) our results may not be generalizable nationwide or in other areas

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Take Home Message Existing Job Corps measures can help us:

1. Determine the factors put trainees most at-risk at our centers

2. Provide targeted intervention to decrease the number of trainees not completing the program

3. Assess how our intervention impacts success in trainees with mental health problems

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Future Directions Consider alternate models that include other

risk factors (e.g., educational problems, quality of interpersonal relationships, etc.) and potential mediators (e.g., depression, impulsivity, etc.)

Obtain support and funding to establish a line of outcome-oriented research

Publish and disseminate results to establish evidence-based interventions at Job Corps centers across the country

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Thank you Michael Lewis, Ph.D., University

Distinguished Professor and Director, The Institute for the Study of Child Development, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Mr. Jibu Kuruvilla, Center Director Ritu Dahiya, Wellness Manager Staff and trainees at the Edison Job Corps

Center