After-School Programs and Children's Mental Health: Organizational Social Context, Program Quality, and Children's Social Behavior

Objective: The current study examined associations among organizational social context, after-school program (ASP) quality, and children's social behavior in a large urban park district. Method: Thirty-two park-based ASPs are included in the final sample, including 141 staff and 593 children. S...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology 2021-03, Vol.50 (2), p.215-228
Main Authors: Frazier, Stacy L., Rusch, Dana, Coxe, Stefany, Stout, Tyler J., Helseth, Sarah A., Dirks, Melanie A., Bustamante, Eduardo E., Atkins, Marc S., Glisson, Charles, Green, Philip D., Bhaumik, Dulal, Bhaumik, Runa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
After school programs
Behavior
Behavior problems
Child
Child & adolescent mental health
Child, Preschool
Children
Competence
Female
Health Needs
Humans
Interpersonal Competence
Linear analysis
Male
Mental Health
Organizational culture
Quality management
Schools
Social Behavior
Social Environment
Social Skills
Stress
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: The current study examined associations among organizational social context, after-school program (ASP) quality, and children's social behavior in a large urban park district. Method: Thirty-two park-based ASPs are included in the final sample, including 141 staff and 593 children. Staff reported on organizational culture (rigidity, proficiency, resistance) and climate (engagement, functionality, stress), and children's social skills and problem behaviors. Children and their parents reported on program quality indicators (e.g., activities, routines, relationships). Parents also completed a children's mental health screener. Results: A series of Hierarchical Linear Models revealed that proficiency and stress were the only organizational predictors of program quality; associations between stress and program quality were moderated by program enrollment and aggregated children's mental health need. Higher child- and parent-perceived program quality related to fewer staff-reported problem behaviors, while overall higher enrollment and higher aggregated mental health need were associated with fewer staff-reported social skills. Conclusions: Data are informing ongoing efforts to improve organizational capacity of urban after-school programs to support children's positive social and behavior trajectories.
ISSN:1537-4416
1537-4424
DOI:10.1080/15374416.2019.1683849