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...1996; Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992; Hops, Davis, & Lewin, 1999; Oetting & Beauvais, 1990; Patterson, Dishion, & Yoerger, 2000). For example, using structural equation modeling with a sample of at-risk boys, Patterson et al. (2000) showed a significant path from early involvement with deviant peers to growth in new forms of antisocial behavior from age 10 through age 18; in a second model, they showed that the contribution of early involvement with deviant peers to later growth in new forms of antisocial behavior was mediated by deviancy training assessed at age 14, accounting for 53% of the variance in later growth in new forms of antisocial behavior.
In addition, there is accumulating research suggesting that interventions that aggregate at-risk peers together can produce iatrogenic effects (Dishion, McCord, & Poulin, 1999). Dishion and colleagues (1999) examined data from two peer-group intervention studies and found that youth in the experimental group had increased adolescent problem behavior and negative life outcomes in adulthood, whereas youth in the control conditions did not show such effects. Dishion and colleagues suggested that, compared with low-risk youth, high-risk youth may be particularly vulnerable to negative outcomes as a result of peer aggregation. If replicated, Dishion et al.'s (1999) findings have immediate implications for youth in the juvenile justice system because peer aggregation is the most common intervention approach for juvenile justice youth. Peer aggregation for juvenile justice youth first occurs in the juvenile detention facility, where the peer network consists solely of youth who have exhibited acts of severe delinquency. Second, upon their release from detention, youth are often mandated by court judges to spent time in group care facilities with other delinquent youth while making the transition from detention to family or independent living settings. Both instances provide an opportunity for youth to associate with peers who have histories of delinquency.
Despite evidence that peer aggregation can lead to negative outcomes, little is known about which populations are most vulnerable to iatrogenic peer aggregation effects and about which mediating processes link peer aggregation to poor outcomes. In this paper, we focus on the effects of peer aggregation in juvenile justice-referred boys and girls who have participated in a randomized intervention trial designed to reduce delinquency. Youth in the intervention condition participated in Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC), where each youth was individually placed in a treatment foster family recruited from the local community (Chamberlain, 2003). Youth in the control condition participated in group care interventions, the services-as-usual for this population.
SUMMARY OF PRIOR WORK ON THE MTFC MODEL
The MTFC model was originally funded by the Oregon Youth Authority in 1983 to provide a community-based alternative to incarceration for boys with serious and chronic delinquency (Chamberlain, 2003). It was selected as a National Blueprint Program by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Elliott, 1998) and as an Exemplary Program for Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-free Schools by the U.S. Department of Education; further, it was highlighted twice ("Children and Mental Health" & "Prevention of Violence") in a U.S. Surgeon General's report (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999).
Two randomized trials examining the efficacy of MTFC have been completed to date. In the first trial, Chamberlain found that MTFC boys had significantly lower rates of official and self-reported delinquency in a 12-month follow-up and lower rates of violent offending in a 24-month follow-up than did group care youth (Chamberlain & Reid, 1998; Eddy, Whaley, & Chamberlain, 2004). A second trial began in 1996 to examine the efficacy of MTFC with an adolescent female population. Results from the girls' trial generally paralleled the boys' trial, with MTFC girls spending fewer days in locked settings, having fewer parent-reported delinquent behaviors, and showing a trend toward fewer arrests at the 12-month follow-up (Leve & Chamberlain, 2005).
Eddy and Chamberlain (2000) examined mediational factors in the boys' sample, with several factors mediating the relationship between group condition and boys' criminal referral and self-reported delinquency rates. The mediating variables included close and consistent supervision, effective discipline, adult mentoring, and separation from delinquent peers. Mediational analyses in the girls' sample are currently underway. Overall, these published studies demonstrate that MTFC effectively reduces general delinquency for boys and girls. However, 12-month intervention outcomes on peer relations and peer association have not been previously examined. This paper combines the boys' and girls' data from the randomized samples described earlier and extends prior work by examining the effect of the MTFC intervention on delinquent peer associations.
Hypotheses
Guided by work suggesting iatrogenic effects of peer aggregation (e.g., Dishion et al., 1999), we first hypothesized that boys and girls randomly assigned to the MTFC intervention would show lower levels of association with delinquent peers at a 12-month follow-up than would youth assigned to group care interventions. Second, we hypothesized that associating with delinquent peers while in the intervention setting would mediate the association between group condition and 12-month association with delinquent peers.
METHOD
Participants
The sample consisted of 153 youth (72 boys and 81 girls) who were referred for out-of-home care due to problems with chronic delinquency by juvenile court judges...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
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