Sample Description
- 185 youth enrolled in the study, with 93 randomly assigned to the enhanced services group. Follow up interviews were completed with 152 youth at 1.3 years after baseline
- Youth were predominantly female (64.9%) and African American (83.2%), with 10.8% reporting Hispanic ethnicity
- At baseline, youth ranged from 17.5 years to 20, with an average age of 19
- 45.8% of young women and 10.8% of young men were parents
- 72.7% of mothers were currently living with their child
- 19.4% identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender
Youth Status at Baseline
- 22.6% were working, 16.2% fulltime
- Most youth (64.8%) were currently enrolled in school
- 23.2% were not currently in school or working
- 33% had graduated from high school or had a GED
- Mild depressive symptoms were reported by 19%; significant symptoms were reported by an additional 14%
- 56.2% had a history of arrest at baseline and 31.4% had spent one or more nights in jail
Project Outcomes at 1.3 Years Follow Up: More Hours of Work and Fewer Arrests
- At 1.3 years follow up, youth in the enhanced services group were working significantly more hours than youth in the control group (15.4 as compared to 9.9 hours per week)
- No differences were found in confidence in obtaining a job, but youth in the enhanced services group who had applied in the past year reported receiving significantly more job offers than control group youth (3.9 as compared to 1.9)
- Delinquency scores significantly decreased in the enhanced services group relative to the control group
- Arrests in the last year were also significantly lower in the enhanced services group, with just 4.2% reporting an arrest in the past year as compared to 20.3% in the control group
- Counter to our theory of change, the enhanced services did not increase youth’s perceptions of social support
