Papers by Rebecca Durbahn
Afterschool Matters, 2018
Anderman, & Anderman, 2006). This is especially true for low-income youth of color, who are more ... more Anderman, & Anderman, 2006). This is especially true for low-income youth of color, who are more likely than other young people to experience discrimination and disengagement from school and adult authorities (Anyon, Zhang, & Hazel, 2016; Travis & Leech, 2014). These trends pose a significant challenge to out-of-school time (OST) programs that aim to serve disadvantaged youth. How can afterschool programs engage middle school students of color as they enter their teenage years? We asked this question while working with the Bridge Project, a drop-in community-based academic enrichment program serving low-income children and adolescents of color living in public housing in Denver, Colorado. Faced with dwindling enrollment among middle school participants, we turned to the research literature for guidance about how to respond to early adolescents’
This dissertation explores the process and examines the outcomes of youth participating in a posi... more This dissertation explores the process and examines the outcomes of youth participating in a positive youth development adventure-based intervention Challenge By Choice (CBC) with outcomes of youth receiving treatment as usual in a residential and day treatment program. This dissertation aims to build on the growing body of literature on outcomes associated with PYD theoretical models and AET approaches. Specifically, the proposed dissertation asks: Is there a difference in externalizing behavioral outcomes for youth who participate in CBC as compared to peers of similar age/behavioral baseline who receive only treatment as usual? To answer this research question, a mixed methods sequential design was used. First a qualitative inquiry into staffs’ perceptions of youth in the program, followed by a retrospective quasiexperimental quantitative study, ending with qualitative interviews to interpret and make sense of quantitative findings. The results indicated there was not a significa...
Social work in public health, 2018
Although homeless youth face extreme adversities, they are often hesitant to seek help from forma... more Although homeless youth face extreme adversities, they are often hesitant to seek help from formal and informal supports. The current study qualitatively explored homeless youths' reasons for coping independently and their strategies for doing so. Youth accessing services (N = 145) in three U.S. cities were interviewed about their rationales for not seeking help from others regarding distressing experiences. Analyses illustrated specific barriers to help seeking that prompted homeless youth to cope on their own by utilizing soothing, avoidant, aggressive, and introspective coping strategies. Implications for outreaching to those least likely to seek help are discussed.
This dissertation explores the process and examines the outcomes of youth participating in a posi... more This dissertation explores the process and examines the outcomes of youth participating in a positive youth development adventure-based intervention Challenge By Choice (CBC) with outcomes of youth receiving treatment as usual in a residential and day treatment program. This dissertation aims to build on the growing body of literature on outcomes associated with PYD theoretical models and AET approaches. Specifically, the proposed dissertation asks: Is there a difference in externalizing behavioral outcomes for youth who participate in CBC as compared to peers of similar age/behavioral baseline who receive only treatment as usual? To answer this research question, a mixed methods sequential design was used. First a qualitative inquiry into staffs' perceptions of youth in the program, followed by a retrospective quasiexperimental quantitative study, ending with qualitative interviews to interpret and make sense of quantitative findings. The results indicated there was not a significant difference in externalizing behavioral outcomes for youth the intervention group compared to the treatment as usual group. The qualitative strand helped to make sense of these results through highlighting that during the actual intervention, the youth in the intervention group appeared to make progress with increased skills and decreased behaviors but that any perceived positive impact was not sustained or supported by the quantitative results. The qualitative results iii revealed 3 themes that helped to frame the perceived impact of the intervention and, one key theme related to barriers to sustained changes revealed possible explanations for the increase in externalizing behaviors post the intervention. iv Acknowledgements I would like to take the time to acknowledge the support, guidance and time that my committee has devoted to helping me through this entire dissertation process. I would like to thank and acknowledge Michele Hanna, Heather Taussig, Kim Bender, and Kathy Green. Each member of my committee has been an instrumental and invaluable participant in this process. I am grateful and thank you each for your part in my journey. v Table of Contents
Afterschool Matters, 2018
This pilot study explored the impact of a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project on e... more This pilot study explored the impact of a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project on early adolescents’ perceptions of youth voice and adult support in an after school program (ASP).
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Papers by Rebecca Durbahn