Validating the factor structure of the drug free schools and communities scale for child welfare involved youth

ABSTRACT

The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act scale (DFSCA) has been widely used to measure school engagement in studies utilizing the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) data. Recent analyses using NSCAW-I suggest that the best use of the DFSCA scale is a three-factor structure measuring emotional, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral engagement. However, this three-factor structure presented concerns with the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct, warranting further analyses. This study aimed to test the three-factor structure in separate samples, and to test an alternative model that excluded the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct. Using NSCAW-II data, we performed a series of confirmatory factor analyses, to explore the fit of the hypothesized and alternative models across three random samples. We extracted three random samples from the NSCAW-II data, without replication. Each sub-sample represented 20 % of the larger NSCAW-II sample. The samples included children between the ages of 6 and 15 who were involved with the child welfare system due to a maltreatment report. Results indicated that both the three-factor structure that includes the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct, and the two-factor structure that excludes the factor fit the data well. Implications for using these factor structures in future research is discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• School engagement
• NSCAW
• child welfare

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Jamie Cage

Dr. Jamie Cage is an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Dr. Cage views educational experiences and attainment as promising mechanisms to mitigating the effects of childhood trauma and adversity. Her research seeks to modify the impact of childhood trauma and adversity by identifying educational pathways that promote healthy outcomes and adaptive functioning.

D. Crystal Coles

D. Crystal Coles is an Assistant Professor with the School of Social Work at Morgan State University.  Dr. Coles’ research focuses on child welfare and the intersection of the African-American/Black diaspora through the lens of health disparities in rural and urban communities.  More specifically, her research integrates the area of child welfare and maternal child health by emphasizing the necessity of focusing on the child and maternal well-being as a preventative method of children transitioning into the foster care system

Hollee A. McGinnis

Dr. Hollee A. McGinnis is an Assistant Professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Dr. McGinnis’s research broadly examines the social and cultural determinants of children’s mental health and well-being, with a specific focus on improving outcomes across the lifespan for children with histories of early childhood adversity and child welfare involvement in the U.S. and globally. This research is informed by her post-MSW training in children’s mental health at the Yale Child Study Center, work as the policy director of the Donaldson Adoption Institute, and founder of the non-profit organization for adult intercountry adoptees and adoptive families, Also-Known-As, Inc.

Susan Yoon

Dr. Susan Yoon is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. Dr. Yoon’s research seeks to promote resilience and well-being in children who have experienced child maltreatment. She is particularly interested in identifying factors, mechanisms and pathways that promote or hinder resilient development following early childhood trauma.

Britney E. Pitts

Britney Pitts, LSCW is a second-year doctoral student at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Prior to doctoral studies, Pitts worked as an early childhood mental health consultant (ECMHC) in Baltimore, MD and Alexandria, VA. Pitts has partnered with schools, community partners, and social welfare agencies to support the social-emotional development of young children. She has also been involved in research on responsive parenting, early childhood social-emotional outcomes, adolescent schooling experiences, and Black motherhood. She is currently doing research on biracial identity, experiences, and outcomes.