January 27, 1997
There are solutions to the epidemic of social problems bedeviling America’s youth, says researcher
At times American society almost seems to be at war with itself, with older generations bemoaning youth violence, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy. “Sometimes it appears as if we fear young people instead of looking at them as leaders of the next generation,” says J. David Hawkins, a University of Washington professor of social work and director of the Social Development Research Group.
“We know we can’t afford to incarcerate our way out of this problem. Prison costs are skyrocketing, leaving little money for other essential services. People need to know that it is possible to prevent the full spectrum of problems plaguing our young people and that there are tools available to do more than we currently are.”
Hawkins, a national expert on understanding and preventing adolescent health and behavior problems, will present the 21st annual UW Faculty Lecture, “Putting Children on a Positive Trajectory: An Effective Strategy for Preventing Teen Violence, Substance Misuse and Teen Pregnancy.” The lecture will be at 8 p.m., Feb. 11, in room 130 Kane Hall. Admission is free.
A member of the UW faculty since 1976, Hawkins has spent much of his career using a public health prevention model to understand and attack health and behavior problems among youth. It’s the same kind of model medical researchers have used against cardiovascular disease: pinpointing and trying to reduce those factors such as a high-fat diet or sedentary lifestyle that contribute to people’s risk while also identifying factors such as exercise that provide protection against cardiovascular disease.
Hawkins, social work professor Richard Catalano and their colleagues have found that there are common risk and protective factors for children in their families, neighborhoods and schools that can contribute to or inhibit a wide range of adolescent behavior and health problems. The researchers have organized these factors into a prevention program for parents, teachers and communities.
For the past 15 years, Hawkins and Catalano have been testing this model in the Seattle Social Development Project by tracking more than 800 Seattle children through their school years and into early adulthood. The children were divided into three groups. One received an intervention program every year from grades one through six. The program was designed to help their parents and teachers to be more effective. The second group received the intervention program only in the fifth and sixth grades and the third or control group received no intervention.
Hawkins reports that by age 18, six years after the intervention ended, there were significant drops in unacceptable adolescent behaviors among the children who received the full intervention program.
“There is a dose effect,” he says. “Children who got the late intervention are not that much better than the control group. The big difference is for the young people who received the full intervention.
Hawkins found that these children were more committed and attached to their schools and this was underscored by a drop of more than 50 percent in the number of children who repeated a grade, a significant improvement in grade point average, a significant reduction in violent behavior and a significant reduction in the number of teenagers who had multiple sex partners by age 18. In addition, he says, children from low income and poverty backgrounds seemed to benefit most from the intervention. These children achieved more in school, were less likely to repeat a grade or drop out of school and had lower rates of misbehavior including drinking and driving.
Hawkins also is co-founder of Developmental Research and Programs, a national provider of research-based materials and training that promote positive child and adolescent development. This material, largely based on UW research, enables communities to do diagnostic assessments to profile their own risks and protective factors and to design programs that address their specific needs.
“You don’t do the same things to prevent substance abuse, for example, in every community. Different interventions are needed and the selection of those interventions that are appropriate in a particular city or town is very important if we are going to use our resources wisely,” he says.
“People need to know there are things we can do to promote the positive social development of young people. We now have the tools that allow us to promote the bonding of our children to schools, families and communities. If we want to raise a healthy generation of young people, we need to invest in our families, schools and communities. At the same time, we need accountability in knowing we picked the right action, that we are getting what we paid for, and most important, that it is achieving what it is supposed to.”
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For more information, contact Hawkins at (206) 543-7655 or by e-mail at {jdh@u.washington.edu}.
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