A LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION OF PREVALENT NEGATIVE BELIEFS ABOUT RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT FOR TROUBLED ADOLESCENTS

To investigate the validity of five prevalent negative beliefs about r esidential placement we followed adolescents from a residential progra m and a comparison group at 3-month intervals for 4 to 8 years. This r esidential program in the Midwest uses the Teaching-Family Model in wh ich sir to eight adolescents live in a family-style environment. The i nterviews included five scales reflecting youths' views about importan t aspects of their lives in placement: (1) Delivery of Helpful Treatme nt, (2) Satisfaction with Supervising Adults, (3) Isolation from Famil y, (4) Isolation from Friends, and (5) Sense of Personal Control. Hier archical linear modeling allowed us to estimate group differences whil e controlling for developmental trends, demographic factors, and prior differences between groups. The two groups were equivalent on all sca les before the study. During the following placement, however, the tre atment group's ratings were significantly more positive than the compa rison group on four of the five scales and approached significance on the fifth. These findings suggest that negative beliefs about life in residential placement for adolescents may not apply to all programs.