Understanding School Truancy: Risk–Need Latent Profiles of Adolescents

Assessment ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 978-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Iverson ◽  
Brian F. French ◽  
Paul S. Strand ◽  
Chad M. Gotch ◽  
Carl McCurley
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Maladaptive Behaviors ◽  
Court System ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Unexcused Absences ◽  
School Truancy

Washington state requires school districts to file court petitions on students with excessive unexcused absences resulting in thousands of youth becoming involved in the court system. Once in the system, decisions are made about the level of risk each youth has for maladaptive behaviors. The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students was created to assist youth service providers, courts, and schools to identify an adolescent’s needs for social, emotional, or educational intervention. However, the profile-based decisions advocated for by test developers lack empirical justification. This study employed latent profile analysis to examine risk and needs profiles of adolescents based on the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students assessment. Profiles were developed to aid understanding of behaviors associated with school truancy, and examined across outcome variables (e.g., suspensions, arrests) to evaluate evidence in support of predictive claims. Results suggest distinct profiles that differ on important outcomes.

scholarly journals Classification of Mental Health among Korean Vietnam War Veterans: A Latent Profile Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 637-637
Author(s):  
Hyunyup Lee ◽  
Carolyn Aldwin ◽  
Sungrok Kang ◽  
Xyle Ku
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Vietnam War ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Vietnam War Veterans ◽  
Latent Profile

Abstract We investigated the dimensional structure of mental health among aging Korean Veterans using latent profile analysis (LPA) on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD), late onset stress symptomology (LOSS), and psychosocial well-being (PWB). The Korean Vietnam War Veterans Study consists of 367 men (Mage=72, SD=2.66). LPA identified five classes of mental health as best fitting the data. Most men were in the normal (38%) and moderate distress (31%) groups, while smaller proportions were in the low affect (13%) and severe distress (7%) groups. The resilient group (12%) had low PTSD, medium LOSS, and high PWB, and were highest on optimism, positive appraisals of military service, and social support. Negative and positive aspects of mental health outcomes were on separate dimensions rather than on a single bipolar dimension. Service providers should attempt to both reduce Veterans’ negative psychological symptoms and increase psychosocial well-being. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

Differential Item Functioning of a Truancy Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 642-648
Author(s):  
Brian F. French ◽  
Thao T. Vo
Keyword(s):  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Student Behaviors ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Graded Response ◽  
School Truancy ◽  
Report Measure

The Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs of Students (WARNS) is a brief self-report measure designed for schools, courts, and youth service providers to identify student behaviors and contexts related to school truancy. Empirical support for WARNS item invariance between ethnic groups is lacking. This study examined differential item functioning (DIF) to ensure that items on the WARNS function similarly across groups, especially for groups where truancy rates are highest. The item response theory graded response model was used to examine DIF between Caucasian, African American, and Latinx students. DIF was identified in six items across WARNS domains. The DIF amount and magnitude likely will not influence decisions based on total scores. Implications for practice and suggestions for an ecological framework to explain the DIF results are discussed.

scholarly journals Patterns of Intergenerational Care Planning Among Chinese Aging Families in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 530-530
Author(s):  
Xue Bai ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Tongling Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Care Transitions ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Future Care ◽  
Intergenerational Care

Abstract Care planning before the onset of intensive care needs can increase families’ ability to manage caregiving crises and cope with care transitions. However, future care planning has not been substantially examined in a family context. Drawing on the model of Preparation for Future Care Needs and a family systems perspective, this study investigated patterns of intergenerational care planning across multiple planning domains (awareness, avoidance, information gathering, decision making, and concrete planning) among Chinese intergenerational pairs. Quantitative data of 213 pairs of aging parents and adult children were collected in Hong Kong. Latent Profile Analysis was conducted to examine typological structure underlying care planning patterns. Three patterns were discovered: filial-maximal, dyadic-moderate, and filial-minimal. Profile 1 contained approximately 9.9% of pairs, which demonstrated a relatively higher level of avoidance on considering the need of care preparation and engaged less in concrete planning activities. Profile 2 contained 68.5% of intergenerational pairs that had a moderate preparation level. Profile 3 contained 21.6% of intergenerational pairs that were comparatively active in care planning. The findings also indicated that although older adults across three groups demonstrated a similar level of awareness to prepare for future care, their engagement in the concrete planning activities may be driven by their children’s awareness and preparation toward future care. The findings will enhance professionals’ and service providers’ awareness of diverse care planning patterns among Asian aging families, and inform targeted policies and programmes to alleviate unpreparedness for eldercare through intergenerational care planning which can be more effective than unilateral preparation.

scholarly journals Improving graduation rates: Legitimate practices and gaming strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Noralee R. Edwards ◽  
Diana L. Mindrila
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Strategic Action ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Short Period ◽  
District Personnel ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
Enhance Student Learning

Accountability pressures faced by teachers and leaders may lead well-intentioned educators to engage in strategic reporting and operational practices to increase test scores, graduation rates, and other indicators of student success. Such practices are referred to as gaming behaviors. School district personnel attending a Georgia educational conference (N=146) reported a significant prevalence of two such practices – purging data for students enrolled for a short period of time and fabricating withdrawal forms in case of audit. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three categories of strategies employed by school districts to improve reported graduation rates: a) practices that directly contradict the rules governing ethical reporting of data (Factor1); b) legitimate educational practices aiming to enhance student learning (Factor2); and c) possible gaming strategies aiming to exclude low performing students from the computation of graduation rates (Factor3). Latent profile analysis distinguished a) a group with average scores on all factors (N=120); and b) a group with significantly higher scores on Factor1 and Factor3 (N=26). The second group included a significantly larger proportion of individuals from districts with 5,000 – 10,000 students; districts of this size may have the expertise in-house to understand calculations and take strategic action with their data reporting practices.

Identifying Suicide Typologies Among Trauma-Exposed Veterans

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Bounoua ◽  
Jasmeet P. Hayes ◽  
Naomi Sadeh
Keyword(s):  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Research Priority ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
And Behaviors

Abstract. Background: Suicide among veterans has increased in recent years, making the identification of those at greatest risk for self-injurious behavior a high research priority. Aims: We investigated whether affective impulsivity and risky behaviors distinguished typologies of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in a sample of trauma-exposed veterans. Method: A total of 95 trauma-exposed veterans (ages 21–55; 87% men) completed self-report measures of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, impulsivity, and clinical symptoms. Results: A latent profile analysis produced three classes that differed in suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI): A low class that reported little to no self-injurious thoughts or behaviors; a self-injurious thoughts (ST) class that endorsed high levels of ideation but no self-harm behaviors; and a self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (STaB) class that reported ideation, suicide attempts and NSSI. Membership in the STaB class was associated with greater affective impulsivity, disinhibition, and distress/arousal than the other two classes. Limitations: Limitations include an overrepresentation of males in our sample, the cross-sectional nature of the data, and reliance on self-report measures. Conclusion: Findings point to affective impulsivity and risky behaviors as important characteristics of veterans who engage in self-injurious behaviors.

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