Examining a model of latent family functioning among familes utilizing Early Head Start services
Abstract
There are several federally funded intervention programs aimed at providing comprehensive services to young children and their families. The current study examined one of these federally funded, two-generation programs, specifically the Early Head Start (EHS) program, in order to describe if and how the program influences the way families function. The current study hypothesized that involvement in the EHS program would result in improved family functioning over time. The specific goal of the current study was to demonstrate if a latent construct of Family Functioning could be modeled with this sample to determine if there was significant change in the trajectory of Family Functioning over time for families participating in the Early Head Start program when compared with control group families. Using a Latent Growth Curve Analysis, results indicated that a latent construct of family functioning was not supported when tested over time. Then a Latent Change Score Model (LCS) was conducted to examine whether there was a difference in any change in latent family functioning between the EHS program group families and those control group families. Results indicated that there were not significant differences between groups, demonstrating that the EHS program did not impact families in a different way when compared with control group families in this sample. These findings did not support the current study's hypotheses, but possible explanations for these findings are discussed.
Subject Area
Early childhood education|Developmental psychology|Individual & family studies
Recommended Citation
Siebert, Megan Elizabeth, "Examining a model of latent family functioning among familes utilizing Early Head Start services" (2010). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3438466.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3438466
