Toward an Understanding of the Connections in Creating Lasting Family Connections

Abstract

The Creating Lasting Family Connections^® (CLFC) program is designed to help improve relationship skills and reduce antisocial behaviors. Strader and colleagues propose that prosocial connectedness is responsible for program outcomes. We propose that the intersection of high agreeableness and low impulsivity represent an operational definition. We examined this definition in the context of a RCT with 246 men in prison reentry. CLFCFP increased the number of connected individuals. Being connected and the program independently impacted relationship skills, but no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that the program impacts would be more pronounced among those who were connected.

Keywords:

• Community approaches to family intervention (including school-family interventions)
• family & couples instruments (development/psychometrics/validation)
• prison reentry
• fatherhood interventions

Author note

Preparation of this paper was supported, in part, through a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (#90FK0009), awarded to COPES Incorporated (to the second author), and a subcontract awarded to COPES Incorporated (to the second author) through Education Development Center from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Southeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technology.

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this paper was supported, in part, through a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance (#90FK0009), awarded to COPES Incorporated (to the second author), and a subcontract awarded to COPES Incorporated (to the second author) through Education Development Center from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Southeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technology