Measurement Properties of the Communities That Care Youth Survey Across Demographic Groups

• NCJ Number: 209648
• Journal: Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2005 Pages: 73-102
• Author(s): Renita R. Glaser; M. Lee Van Horm; Michael W. Arthur; J. David Hawkins; Richard F. Catalano
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 30 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated the Communities That Care Youth Survey that measures multiple risk and protective factors that predict adolescent drug use and related problem behaviors.

Abstract

The Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey measures an array of risk and protective factors that predict youth health and behavior outcomes. Testing by Arthur, et al., (2002) found the scales representing risk and protective factors in the survey to be reliable and to be related to drug use. This study tested measures of 23 risk factors and 9 protective factors assessed using the current form of the CTC Youth Survey. The aims of the study were to provide a confirmatory test of the fit of the measurement model proposed by Arthur, et al., (2002) for the risk and protective factor scales in each of the domains of community, school, family, and peer/individual; and the assess the degree to which the four measurement models representing the factors within each domain were consistent across the racial/ethnic groups of African-Americans, Asians or Pacific Islanders, Whites, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans, gender, and grade. Data for the study came from 7 statewide surveys conducted in 1998 of public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 (n=172,464). The results of the study add to previous studies indicating the invariance of risk and protective factor measures across gender and racial/ethnic groups. Results show that the CTC Youth Survey adequately measures the 23 risk factors and 9 protective factors for males and females and for the 5 racial/ethnic groups in this study. The results also show that the survey adequately measured the risk and protective factors at each grade level but it was not able to do so across grade levels. Implications for the field of prevention planning are discussed, as are study limitations. References, tables, figures, and Appendix A: CYC Youth Survey Items