item by Item justification

Appendix C

DRAFT: Item by Item Justification: Follow-up Survey

Q Number	Question	Source	Uses	Justification
Module 1:
Housing History and Stability			To measure outcomes of the study interventions on housing stability over the follow-up period, data collected will measure housing status, incidence of homelessness, and receipt of housing assistance.
A1.	Can you please confirm the address where you are living/staying now?	A1-A3 Family Options Study Tracking Survey		Current address is used both for contact information for future contacts, and can be used to assess neighborhood quality by geocoding address to Census data.
A1a.	Was there a complex/building name?
A1b.	Was there an apartment number?
A1c.	What city did you live in?
A1d.	What state did you live in?
A1e.	What is the zip code?
A2.	How long have you lived in this place?		Outcome: Housing stability	The study interventions may affect housing stability by providing housing subsidy and supportive services to promote stability. Questions on length of time in current housing at follow-up provide information on housing stability.
A3.	Is the place where you live now called the [PBTH PROVIDER]		For participants assigned to the TH intervention, this item is used to document whether respondent is still living in initial assigned program	This is used to document take up and total time spent in assigned TH program. This is essential for measuring receipt (initial take up and dosage/exposure) of the assigned intervention.
A3a.	Did you ever live at [NAME OF PROGRAM	A3a-A3d New Questions	Allows us to determine if the family ever resided in the assigned TH program and any reasons they left or never moved into the program.	Some families will opt not to accept the intervention; others will may not be accepted by the provider they were assigned to. It is important to understand reasons for not taking up the assigned intervention.
A3b.	What the main reason you did not ever live at
A3c.	About how long did you live there
A3d.	What would you say was the main reason you left [NAME OF PROGRAM TO WHICH FAMILY WAS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED?]
A4.	Which of the following best describes your current living situation?	Transitional Housing Study-Modified	Used to track housing situation over the follow up period and to measure housing stability	A4-A6nFor living situations that are formal programs (TH, DV, etc) names are collected to provide measures of participation in housing programs over the follow up period. This will be used in A14-A19 series , which captures program participation information.
A5.	Do you think that you will be able to stay in the place where you are living/staying now as long as you want?	New Question	Outcome: Housing Stability	This question allows measurement of perceived stability in current housing and extent to which family is at risk of homelessness at the time of the survey. The interventions may be expected to affect housing stability and this allows us to measure impacts of the four interventions on a key outcome of interest.
	Why don’t you think you will be able to stay in this place as long as you want?	New Question
A7	Do you currently receive any governmental housing assistance, such as through public housing or Section 8?	A7-A8 HOPE VI Interim Assessment adapted; Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families	Outcome: receipt of housing assistance	Used to document differences in receipt of housing assistance –financial or residential—across interventions. This will also be used to assess the extent to which participants assigned to any of the interventions eventually received housing assistance.
A8	Are you paying lower rent because the Federal, state, or local government is paying for part of your rent?
A8a	What is the name of the program that provides your housing assistance?
A8b	Is this assistance: public housing, a Section 8 Certificate or Voucher, a Section 8 project, or some other type of assistance?
A9	Now, I’d like you to think about the last six months—that is, since [SHOW CALENDAR]. Were there any times when you were homeless in the last six months?	A9-A12 CMHS/CSAT adapted; Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking Survey	Outcome: Housing stability	A9-A12 The study interventions may affect housing stability and measuring incidence of homelessness over the follow up period is needed to assess whether the interventions reduce homelessness among study participants and the relative effect of each intervention on this outcome.
A10	How many times were you homeless in the last six months?
A10a	Thinking about all of the times you have been homeless in the past 6 months,] What would you say is the total number of days, weeks, or months that you have been homeless in the past 6 months?
A11	Again, please think about the last six months. Were there any times when you were living with a friend or relative because you could not find or afford a place of your own?
A12	Altogether, how much time in the past six months, would you say you spent living with a friend or relative because you could not find or afford a place of your own?
A13	Now I’d like you to think about the past [# MONTHS SINCE Rah Have you participated in any program to help you with your housing?	A13 Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking surveys	Receipt of housing assistance—receipt of housing interventions	Used to document receipt of intervention assistance and crossover
A14-19b-d	During what period of time did you participate in this program?	A14b-A19e Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking surveys	Receipt of housing assistance—receipt of housing interventions	Used to document receipt of intervention assistance and crossover, and time spent receiving assistance
A14-A19e	What type of program was it?		Receipt of housing assistance—receipt of housing interventions	Used to document receipt of intervention assistance and crossover, and time spent receiving assistance
A20.	How many different places you have lived/stayed in the past 6 months?	A20 New Question	Outcome: Housing stability	Used to determine if there is variation in the number of moves in the follow-up period across interventions.
Module 2
Housing Quality and Affordability			To measure outcomes of the study interventions, the data collected in Module 2 will provide an assessment of several measures of housing quality, satisfaction, and affordability.
B1	How many adults, that is people who are 18 years old or older, in your family are living with you right now [do not include yourself]?	B1-B5 Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking surveys	Family composition is assessed to define the family for the purposes of measuring housing affordability, crowding, and housing satisfaction. This measure is also used later to assess changes in family composition over the follow-up period.	B1-B5 are used to define the people that the respondent should consider when answering questions about household income; rent; housing satisfaction; etc..
B2	Please tell me the first names of the adults in your family who live with you right now. Do not include yourself. By adult, I mean people who are 18 years old or older.
B3	How many children in your family are living with you right now? By children, I mean people 17 years old or younger.
B4	Please tell me the first names of the children in your family who live with you now. By children, I mean people who are 17 years old or younger.
B5	So, the people in your family who are living with you now are: [READ NAMES}. If you moved, who do you think would go with you?
B6	Not including kitchens, bathrooms and hallways, how many rooms are there in your house/apartment/ living space available for the use of your family	Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families	Housing Quality	B6-B8 are used to measure housing quality, which is both an outcome of interest in its own right as well as a mediating factor for other outcomes. B3 also allows for measuring the extent of crowding in housing, when compared to the total number of people in the family.
B7	Overall, how would you describe the condition of your current house or apartment? Would you say it is in:	Rent Study
B8	Does your current housing have any of the following problems?	Rent Study
	B8a. Mildew, mold, or water damage on any wall, floor, or ceiling?
	B8b. Any floor problems such as boards, tiles, carpeting or linoleum that are missing, curled, or loose?
	B8c. Any holes or large cracks where outdoor air or rain can come in?
	B8d. Bad odors such as sewer, natural gas, etc. in your home?
	B8e. In the last three months has any bathroom floor been covered by water because of a plumbing problem?
	B8f. In the last three months has your toilet not worked for 6 hours or more?
	B8g. In the last three months has your electricity not worked for 2 hours or more?
	B8h. In cold weather, do you ever need to use your oven to heat your home?
B9	In the month just past, what did you and the people in your family pay [as rent/for the mortgage/ and any condo fee]?	B9-B11 Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families, Adapted	Housing security	B9-B11 are used to measure housing expenditures and to distinguish out-of-pocket rent payments from full rent payments.
B10	In the month just past, what was the total amount you and the people in your family paid for utilities that were not included as part of the rent or condominium fee?
B11	What is the total amount of all utility payments, for a typical month—that is not a month with unusually high or low heat or air conditioning bills
Module 3
Employment Income, Self-Sufficiency, and Hardship			Self-sufficiency is a key goal of the Transitional Housing Intervention. Questions on employment, participation in education and training, financial hardship, and income allow for measuring differential effects of the interventions on measures of self-sufficiency and economic hardship.
C1.	Last week, did you do any work for pay?	C1-C13 Family Options Study Baseline Survey; adapted from MTO Interim Evaluation and Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families	Outcome: Self-sufficiency, employment.	The study interventions, particularly those offering supportive services in conjunction with housing assistance, are hypothesized to affect employment rates and earnings of study participants. Questions in Section C provide current measures of employment and earnings outcomes that will be used in the impact analysis.
C2.	Since [MONTH/YEAR OF RA], have you done any work at all for pay?
C3	Since [MONTH/YEAR OF RA], that is in the past [N] months, how many different jobs have you had? Please include all jobs.
C4	Since [MONTH/YEAR of RA], that is in the past [N] months, how many months did you work for pay at least for part of the month?
C5.	How many hours per week do/did you usually work at your [main] job/most recent job?
C6.	For your (main)/most recent job, what is the easiest way for you to report your total earnings before taxes or other deductions: hourly, weekly, monthly, annually, or on some other basis?
C7	[Do/Did] you usually receive overtime pay, tips, or commissions (at this/your main/your most recent] job?
C8	Including overtime pay, tips, and commissions), what [are/were] your usual [earnings on this job, before taxes or other deductions?
C9	[ASK THIS QUESTION ONLY OF PEOPLE WHO REPORT BEING PAID ON A DAILY BASIS, C6=2] How many days a week do you usually work?
C10	How many weeks a year do you get paid for?
C11	[ASK THIS QUESTION ONLY OF PEOPLE WHO REPORT BEING PAID BY THE UNIT C6=8] For how many [UNITS] are you usually paid per week (on this job)?
	C12a. Employment income		Outcome: Self-sufficiency, Income
	C12b. Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (PROBE: Food stamps?)	C1-C13 Family Options Study Baseline Survey; adapted from MTO Interim Evaluation and Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families
	C12c. SSI (Supplemental Security Income)?
	C12d. TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or welfare cash assistance)? [WILL INSERT LOCAL NAME OF TANF PROGRAM AND PROBE USING LOCAL NAME]
	C12e Unemployment Insurance/ Unemployment Compensation?
	C12f. Child Support?
	C12g. WIC (Women’s Infants, and Children)?
	C12h. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
	C12i. Social Security Survivor’s benefits?
	C12j. Medicaid?
	C12k. State health insurance? (e.g. INDIGENT CARE) [WILL INSERT LOCAL NAMES OF ANY STATE HEALTH INSURANCE OR ASSISTANCE]?
	C12l. State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)?
	C12m. Child Care Assistance?
	C12n. Alimony
	C12o. Cash from people living with you who are not part of your family?
	C12q. Cash from relatives or friends who do not live with you?
	C12r. Other Sources of Income or Assistance (LIST)
C13	During [most recently completed calendar year 2011 or 2012] what was the total amount of cash income, before taxes or other deductions, you and all the people in your family?
C14	Would it amount to $10,000 or more?	C1-C13 Family Options Study Baseline Survey; adapted from MTO Interim Evaluation and Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families
C15	Would it amount to $20,000 or more?
C16	Would it amount to $30,000 or more?
C17	Would it amount to $15,000 or more?
C18	Would it amount to $5,000 or more?
C19	Did you receive a tax refund check from the federal government early in [2012/2013 [INSERT CORRECT YEAR BASED ON TIMING OF INTERVIEW], between January and June or as part of your paycheck?	C19-C19a MTO Interim Evaluation –Modified	Outcome: Self-sufficiency, Income	E19-E19b measure the extent to which sample members take advantage of the EITC. The PBTH intervention, because it involves more extensive social services, may be expected to result in higher receipt of EITC than other interventions. EITC is an important source of income for low-income families.
C19A	How much was your tax refund?
C19B	Did you receive your refund in one check or as part of your paycheck?	C19b New Question
C20	What is the highest grade or year of regular school that you have completed and gotten credit for?	C20-C21 Family Options Study Baseline Survey, modified	Outcome: Self-sufficiency Education and Training (human capital development)	C20-C26 allow us to measure the number of hours and episodes of education and training received over the follow-up period. We hypothesize that receipt of the PBTH intervention might be expected to result in greater participation in education and training over the follow-up period compared with other interventions. Receipt of education and training may be a mediator for longer term impacts on self-sufficiency. Collecting this information will allow us to test these hypotheses. .
C21	Do you have a high school diploma or a GED?
C22	Do you have a technical certificate or vocational accreditation?	New Question
C23	What kind of technical certificate of vocational accreditation did you receive?	New Question
C24	Have you participated in any school or training program that lasted at least two weeks that was designed to help you find a job, improve your job skills, or learn a new job?	C24-C27 NSAF adapted for Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families and MTO Interim Evaluation
C25	How many different training programs have you participated in since [MONTH/YEAR of RA
C26	What kind of schooling or training was that?
C27	Altogether since [MONTH/YEAR of RA], that is in the past [N] months, about how many weeks would you say you have spent in training programs that were designed to help you find a job, improve your job skills, or learn a new job?
C28A	The first statement is “I worried whether our food would run out before I got money to buy more.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 30 days?	C28-C32 USDA/ERS used in Current Population Survey		C28-32 are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s standard battery on food security. They measure important aspects of family well-being and economic self-sufficiency. They will be used to measure the relative effects of the study interventions on food security. The questions form a scale representing different degrees of food security.
C28B	The second statement is: “The food that I bought just didn’t last, and I didn’t have money to get any more.” Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 30 days?
C29	In the past 30 days, that is since (name of current month) of last year, did you or other adults in your household ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?
C30	In the last 30 days, did you ever eat less than you felt you should because there wasn't enough money to buy food?
C10	In the last 30 days, were you ever hungry but didn't eat because you couldn't afford enough food?
C32	In the last 30 days, did you or other adults in your household ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food?
	How often does it happen that you do not have enough money to afford:	C33a-C34 Pearlin & Schooler (1978) Adapted by Shinn	Outcome: Self-sufficiency, Economic Stressors
C33a	C32b. the kind of medical care your family should have? Has this happened never, once in a while, fairly often or very often?
C33b	C32c. the kind of clothing your family should have?
C33c	C32d. the leisure activities that your family wants?
C8d	C32e. your rent?
C34	In general, how do your family's finances usually work out at the end of the month?
Module 4
Family composition and preservation			Although child well-being is best measured only for children who remain with their parents, previous research suggests that separations from custodial parents is a common correlate of homelessness. Thus this survey collects information on several indicators of family separation and reunification, for use in assessing impacts of the study interventions on family preservation and unification.
D1.	What is your marital status? Are you currently…	D1-D23a Adapted from Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking Surveys
D2.	Earlier we talked about the people in your family who are living with you now and would move with you if you moved.		Outcome: Family Preservation. Family composition is assessed to measure outcomes of the study interventions on family preservation.	Family preservation is one of the main outcomes of interest for this study. The interventions being studied are hypothesized to promote family preservation by increasing housing stability and addressing other needs of the family which make it more likely for family members to remain together. It is thus important to gather detailed information about family composition at the follow-up to track changes in family composition that occur as family members join or leave the family.
D3.	The last time we talked, [names] were living with you/staying with you. Can you please tell me tell me where they are currently staying, and how long they’ve been staying there?			D3-D10 capture information about family members that were present at baseline or one of the tracking interviews, but are not present at the time of the follow-up. Captures the duration of the separation, determines where family members is now. For adults the series captures incarcerations, etc. For separated children, this series captures information on the child’s current location, and any foster care placements—formal or informal. This information allows us to determine if the different study interventions have any effect on changes in household composition.
D4.	List of family members with Respondent at last interview BUT NOT WITH RESPONDENT NOW
D5.	How long has it been since [NAME] lived/stayed with you?
D6.	Where is [NAME] living/staying now?
D7.	Was the foster care placement for [NAME] arranged by [LOCAL NAME OF CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM]
D8.	What would you say has been the total amount of time [CHILD] has spent living apart from you?
D9	: Does [NAME] have a disability? That could include either a physical, emotional, or mental health condition.
D10.	Is there anything about your housing situation that makes it difficult for [NAME] to live with you?
D11	What is [NAME]’s relationship to you?		Outcome: Family Preservation, new family members	D11-D15 capture information about any household members that joined the family since the last time the family was interviewed. It captures the relationship to the respondent and date of birth for all new members. It also asks whether the new member(s) were able to join the family because of the current living situation. Current employment status is determined for all new members aged 15 and up It is important to understand what, if any, changes the different interventions have on changes in household composition.
D12	Is [NAME] male or female?
D13.	What is [NAME]’s Date of Birth?
D14.	Is [NAME] currently working for pay?
D15.	Was there anything about your housing situation or about the program you are in that helped with the decision that [name of person] should live with you?		Outcome: Family Preservation—temporary separations	D15-D20 Even families that have the same baseline family members with them at follow-up may have experienced temporary separations. It is important to understand how changes in family composition differed across the intervention groups. This series captures the duration of temporary separations as well as the interim locations of each separated member.
D16.	Was there ever a time in the past six months when [NAME] was not living with you?
D17	How many weeks during the last six months was [NAME] not living with you?
D18	Please tell where the [NAME] was during those weeks?
D19	Was the foster care placement for [NAME] arranged by [LOCAL NAME OF CHILD WELFARE PROGRAM]
D20	Was there anything about your housing situation that makes it difficult for [NAME] to live with you?.
D21	Was there any time in the past six months when [PERSON/YOU] [was/were] in a residential treatment program?			D21-D23 ask about temporary stays of the respondent and all baseline household members age 15 and up in residential treatment programs, hospitals, and incarcerations.
D21A	IF D21=1 ASK: How many days/weeks was [NAME]/were you in treatment?
D22	Was there any time in the past six months when [PERSON/you] was/were in a hospital?
D22A	IF D21=1 ASK: How many days/weeks was [NAME]/were you in the hospital?
D23	Was there any time in the past six months when [NAME]/you was/were in jail or prison?
D23A	IF D23=1 ASK: How many days/weeks was [NAME]/were you in jail or prison?
Module 5
Adult Well Being			Adult well-being includes a broad range of constructs from physical and behavioral health, substance use and efficacy. These measures are used to assess the relative impacts of the study interventions on adult well-being.
E1.	Overall, how would you rate your health during the past 4 weeks?	National Health Interview	Questions in Section E are used to measure outcomes related to general physical health and mental health status. These questions are collected for the family head.	Questions are used to establish current measures of health status and to measure experimental contrasts in health status across the interventions to determine whether some interventions are more effective than others in their impacts on health status.
E2a.	E2a. If I should find myself in a jam, I could think of many ways to get out of it.
E2b	E2b. At the present time, I am energetically pursuing my goals.	HOPE Scale	Outcome: Positive measure of well-being	E2a—E2fThis will be used to measure impacts of the study interventions on positive aspects of adult well-being. We hypothesize that the study interventions may have differing effects on adults sense of efficacy and this scale is intended to measure this outcome to allow for comparison across study interventions.
E2c	E2c. There are lots of ways around any problem that I am facing now.
E2d	E2d.Right now I see myself as being pretty successful.
E2e	E2e.I can think of many ways to reach my current goals.
E2f	E3f. At this time, I am meeting the goals that I have set for myself.
E3	How much of the time during the past month have you felt ...	E3a-f National Co-Morbidity Survey K-6 Interviewer Administered Sequence	Outcome: Adult Well- being, Behavioral Health	E3a-E3f The scales used here are from the National Co-Morbidity Survey and have been validated. These scales are used to measure behavioral health and to compare effects on these outcomes across the study interventions. n. The K10 and K6 scales were designed to be sensitive around the threshold for the clinically significant range of the distribution of nonspecific distress in an effort to maximize the ability to discriminate cases of serious mental illness (SMI) from non-cases. A small validation study carried out in a convenience sample in Boston found evidence that the scales perform quite well and that, in fact, the six-question scale is at least as sensitive as the ten-question scale for the purpose of discriminating between cases and non-cases of SMI.
E3A	E3a. Nervous?
E3B	E3b. Hopeless?
E3C	E3c. Restless or fidgety?
E3D	E3d. So depressed that nothing could cheer you up?
E3E	E3e. That everything was an effort?
E3F	E3f. Worthless?
E4	E4a. Repeated, disturbing memories, thoughts, or images of a stressful experience?	E4a-q FOA, PDS (Post traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale)	Outcome: Adult Well-being, Trauma symptoms	Questions E4a—E4q are intended to be a current indicator of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among family heads. This is used to estimate the relative impacts of the study interventions on adult PTSD symptoms.
	E4b. Repeated, disturbing dreams of a stressful experience?
	E4c. Suddenly acting or feeling as if stressful experiences were happening again (as if you were reliving it)?
	E4d. Feeling very upset when something reminded you of a stressful experience?
	E4e. Having physical reactions (e.g., heart pounding, trouble breathing, or sweating) when something reminded you of a stressful experience?
	E4f. Avoid thinking about or talking about the stressful experiences or avoid having feelings related to it?
	E4g. Avoid activities or situations because they remind you of a stressful experience?
	E4h. Trouble remembering important parts of the stressful experience?
	E4i. Loss of interest in things that you used to enjoy?
	E4j. Feeling distant or cut off from other people?
	E4k. Feeling emotionally numb or being unable to have loving feelings for those close to you?
	E4l. Feeling as if your future will somehow be cut short?
	E4m. Trouble falling or staying asleep?
	E4n. Feeling irritable or having angry outbursts?
	E4o. Having difficulty concentrating?
	E4p. Being “super alert” or watchful on guard?
	E4q. Feeling jumpy or easily startled?
E5	Do you sometimes take a drink in the morning when you first get up?	E5-E9 Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (Cherpitel)	Outcome: Adult Well-being, Substance Use, Alcohol	Questions E5-E9 provide a current measure of alcohol use by the family head to determine if it is inhibiting the respondent’s ability to function within the family. The purpose is not to measure alcohol consumption but to obtain self-reported assessment about whether alcohol use interferes with daily functioning. This will be used in estimating impacts of the interventions on adult well-being. The scale used has been established to screen for alcohol use disorders.
E6	During the past 6 months, has a friend or family member ever told you about things you said or did while you were drinking that you could not remember?
E7	During the past 6 months, have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?
E8	During the past 6 months, have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?
E9	During the past 6 months have you lost friends or boy/girlfriends because of drinking?
E10	E10a. Have you used more than one drug at a time?	E10a-h Drug Abuse Screening Test, Adapted; also used in NHASPC and Transitional Housing Study and Family Options Study Baseline	Outcome: Adult Well- being, Substance use, Drugs	Questions E10a-h are intended to establish a current measure of whether or not drug use by the family head is inhibiting the respondent’s ability to function within the family. The purpose is to obtain self-reported assessment about whether drug use interferes with daily functioning.
	E10b. Have you had “blackouts” or “flashbacks” as a result of drug use?
	E10c. Have your friends or relatives known or suspected that you used drugs?
	E10d. Have you ever lost friends because of drugs?
	E10e. Have you ever not spent time with your family or missed work because of drug use?
	E10f. Have you engaged in illegal activities in order to obtain drugs?
	E10g. Have you ever experienced withdrawal symptoms as a result of heavy drug intake?
	E10h. Have you had medical problems as a result of drug use (e.g. memory loss, hepatitis, convulsions, bleeding?)
E11	In the last 6 months, have you ever been physically abused or threatened with violence by a person who you were romantically involved with, such as a spouse, boy/girlfriend, or partner?		Outcome: Adult Well-being, Exposure to violence
Module 6
Child Well-Being and Parenting			Module 6 is intended to collect outcome measures on a range of aspects of child well-being that may be hypothesized to be affected by the study interventions. The information is collected by asking the parent to report on a focal child with the parent at the time of study enrollment. The module collects information on children ages 0-17 on child care, health, school performance, behavior, and parenting.
F1	Our records show [CHILD]’s date of birth is [FOCAL - CHILD’S DOB]. Is that correct?
F1a.	What is [CHILD]’s date of birth
F2	Do you currently live in the same household as [CHILD]…?	F2-F5d Supporting Healthy Marriages Demonstration, Modified		F2-F5 capture data on how much of the time the focal child lives with the respondent. If response is less than half or none of the time, this series helps determine whether the respondent would be capable of answering questions about the child.
F3	During the past month, about how often did you spend one or more hours a day with [FOCAL CHILD]? Was it…
F4	During the past month, how often have you phoned [FOCALCHILD] or sent [HIM/HER] a card, letter, e-mail, or text message? Was it…
F5	About how often in the past month did you know…
F5A	How [CHILD] spent his or her time when not in school or child care?
F5B	Which other kids [CHILD] spent time with?
F5C	ASK ONLY IF CHILD IS ≥6YEARS OF AGE] Whether [CHILD] had finished his/her schoolwork or studying?
F5D	Which TV programs [CHILD] watched?
F6	Is [CHILD] enrolled in [school or [IF CHILD IS LESS THAN 6YEARS OLD] child care] now?	F6-F7 MTO Interim Evaluation, Modified, similar to NLSY97	Outcome: Child Well-being, School attendance	F6-F13 collect information on school or child care attendance for children. For non-school age children, the questions focus on attendance in different types of child care settings. For school age children, the questions capture information on school attendance. School enrollment may be affected differently by the different interventions.
F7	When was [CHILD] last enrolled in [school or [IF CHILD IS LESS THAN 6 YEARS OLD] child care]?
F8	What is the highest grade or year of school that [CHILD] has ever completed?	LAFANS Parent Module
F9	CAPI ASK ONLY IF F8 = 15, Twelfth Grade] Did [CHILD] get a high school diploma?	MTO Interim Evaluation, Similar to NLSY97
F10	Is your child in regular child care or school at least 10 hours per week?	F10-F13 SAMHSA MOMS
F10a.	What sort of care is [NAME OF CHILD] in [FOR THE MOST HOURS PER WEEK]?
F10b.	Is the provider a relative?
F10c.	Now I’d like to ask about the type of child care provider [CHILD] is in.
F10C1	Early Head Start?
F10C2	Head Start?
F10C3	Other School or Center? (SPECIFY)
F10d.	Is your child in any other regular school or child care at least 10 hours per week?
F11	Counting the arrangement[s] you just told me about, how many different child care arrangements or schools has your child been in for at least 10 hours a week since you began participating in the study around [DATE OF ENROLLMENT]?
F12	Now I have some questions about the number of schools [CHILD] has attended since you started participating in the study, that is since [DATE OF ENROLLMENT].		Academic achievement	F12-F17 Housing instability and homelessness can negatively impact school performance. Children may need to change schools frequently, or parents may need to stay in temporary housing situations longer to avoid disrupting the school year. The study interventions may have different effects on school progress and measuring these items will allow for estimation of impacts.
F12a.	Since you began participating in the study, around [DATE OF ENROLLMENT], how many different schools has [CHILD’S NAME] attended?
F12b.	Since you began participating in the study, around [DATE OF ENROLLMENT], has [CHILD’S NAME] repeated a grade or been prevented from moving on to the next grade or level in school?			F12b and F12c. Allow for estimating impacts of the interventions on grade retention and academic achievement both of which could be affected by the various housing and service interventions through housing stability, income, and family self-sufficiency.
F12c.	Think about [CHILD’S] report card at the end of the last term. Would you describe the report card as mostly As, mostly Bs, mostly Cs; mostly Ds or mostly Fs?
F13	How many days in the past month has your child missed child care/school?
F14	During the past 6 months, has anyone from [CHILD’S] school/child care asked someone to come in and talk about problems [CHILD] was having with behavior?	F14-F15 MTO Interim Evaluation		F14 and F15 provides a measure of behavior and performance at school. The interventions might be expected to have differing effects on school performance and attendance.
F15	During the past 6 months [SHOW CALENDAR], has [CHILD] been suspended or expelled from school/child care?
F16	How much does your child like school/ child care? Would you say not at all, not very much, some, pretty much, or very much?
F17	How would you rate your child’s experiences at school/child care? Would you say that he/she has had mostly positive experiences; both positive and negative experiences; or mostly negative experiences?
F18	Would you say [CHILD’S NAME]’s health in general is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?	F18-F19 Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families, Adapted from MTO Interim Evaluation	Outcome: Child Well-being, health	F18-F20 provides a measure of overall health status. The study interventions might be expected to affect the health status of children and youth differently, through moves to new locations or through the additional resources to the family resulting from the receipt of housing assistance. Collecting this information will allow us to test for differential impacts on child health status across the interventions.
F18a.	Do you take [CHILD’S NAME] to a particular doctor’s office, clinic, health center, hospital, or other place if he/she is sick or if you needed advice about his/her health?
F18b.	Can you tell me where you take [CHILD’S NAME]? [RECORD RESPONSE AND CODE TO ONE OF FOLLOWING]
F19	During the past 12 months, did [CHILD’S NAME] receive a physical examination or well-child check-up?
F20.	When [CHILD’S NAME] was born, how much did he/she weigh?	F20 and F20a NHIS and Building Strong Families modified
F20a.	[IF F20 = DK] Do you remember if [CHILD’S NAME] was underweight or about the right weight?
F21A-Y	For each of the following items I read, please tell me if is sometimes not true, somewhat true, or certainly true.(CHILDREN AGE 3)	Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 3 Years Old	Outcome: Child Well-being, Behavior	F21a-F23y These modules come from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to measure child behavior. We will administer one of three modules, based on age group (3 year olds; children age 4-10 and children aged 11-17). Each module is targeted to a different age group.
F22A-Y	For each of the following items I read, please tell me if is sometimes not true, somewhat true, or certainly true. (CHIDLDREN AGES 4-10)	Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 4-10 Years Old
F23A-Y	For each of the following items I read, please tell me if is sometimes not true, somewhat true, or certainly true. (CHILDREN AGES 11-17)	Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 11-17 Years Old
F24	In the past six months, has [CHILD’S NAME] been arrested?	F24-F25 Effects of Housing Choice Vouchers on Welfare Families		F24-F25 measures the incidence of criminal and risky behavior in children and youth. This will allow for measuring impacts of the different interventions on these kinds of behavior, which we expect might be affected by the variations in the type and amount of services and housing assistance across interventions.
F25	In the past six months, has [CHILD’S NAME] had any problems that involved the police contacting the parent?
F26	Now I have some questions about your daily activities with [CHILD]. I will read a list of items. Please tell me if you and your child do each one Almost always; Most days; Sometimes; Rarely; or Almost Never.	SAAF (McBride Murry)		F26a-k Capture details on family routines, to measure outcomes that could be hypothesized to be affected by the study interventions. These measures will allow us to test for differential impacts across the four interventions on parenting routines.
F26A	We eat together as a family once a day
F26B	I set aside time for talking with [CHILD] each day
F26C	[CHILD] goes to bed at a regular time
F26D	We have an evening bedtime routine with [CHILD}
F26E	[CHILD] has an evening bedtime routine
F26F	[CHILD] has a regular after school routine
F26G	[CHILD] does his/her homework at the same time every day.
F26H	Children in my house do regular household chores [SKIP FOR ADDITIONAL CHILDREN]
F26I	CHILD]has difficulty waking up in the morning
F26J	CHILD] has difficulty waking up on school days
F26K	CHILD] is tired during the day
F27	Now I am going to read some statements about raising children. I would like you to tell me how true each statement is for you—very true, mostly true, sort of true, or not at all true? Would you say [READ ITEM] is…	New Hope Study As cited in Mistry RS, Lowe E, Benner AD, Chien N. (2008). Expanding the family economic stress model: Insights from a mixed methods approach. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70,196–209.	Outcome: Child Well-being, parent self-efficacy	Parenting stress can be exacerbated by economic stressors and self-perception of one’s ability to parent well. This series will allow us to look at variations of parenting stress, adult well-being, across interventions as it is possible that interventions with more services offered will lead to decreases in parenting stress. These measures will allow us to examine whether there are differential effects of the study interventions on parenting stress. On New Hope, “Parenting stress was measured with five questions concerning the degree of difficulty mothers experienced interacting with and caring for their child (a = .80)” (p. 204)
F27A	My [child seems/ children seem] to be much harder to care for than most.
F27B	There are some things [my child does/ my children do] that really bother me a lot.
F27C	I often feel angry with my [child/children]
F27D	By the end of a long day, I find it hard to be warm and loving to my [child/children]
F28	How much trouble [has your child/have your children] been to raise? Would you say no trouble, a little bit of trouble, some trouble, quite a bit of trouble, or a great deal of trouble?	New Hope Study
F29	Sometimes parents feel that there are barriers or challenges that are keeping them from being good parents. Can you tell me if you agree strongly, agree, disagree, or disagree strongly that the following challenges affect your relationship with [NAME OF CHILD]:	F29a-F29d New Question
F29A	other people make the rules for [NAME OF CHILD] –for example, when he has to go to bed, what to do when he misbehaves.
F29B	People made fun of [NAME OF CHILD] because we didn’t [don’t] have a place to live.
F29C	it’s not always possible for [NAME OF CHILD] to live with me.
F29D	There are bad influences on CHILD from other people who live around here.
F30	Observe: At least 10 books are present and visible. ASK: About how many books do you have in your home?	F30-F43 HOME Observation Scales (validated by Leventhal, Selner-O’Hagan, Brooks-Gunn, Bingenheimer, and Earls 2004) (Adapted)		F30-F43 are taken from the HOME scale. Interviewers use a blend of question and answer techniques and observations. It provides information on parent and child interaction, and will allow the research team to assess whether there are experimental impacts of the study interventions on these measures of parent and child interactions.
F31	Does [CHILD] have any books that are completely his/her own?	F30-F43 HOME Observation Scales (validated by Leventhal, Selner-O’Hagan, Brooks-Gunn, Bingenheimer, and Earls 2004) (Adapted)
F31a.	About how many?
F32	OBSERVE FOR ALL CHILDREN: Did the parent..
F32A	Talk to child/infant at least twice during visit
F32B	Answer child’s questions orally or respond verbally in infants verbalizations?
F32C	Speak to child with a positive tone of voice?
F32D	Caress, kiss, or hug child?
F32E	Respond positively to praise of child offered by interviewer?
F32F	Shout at the child during the visit?
F32G	Speak to the child with annoyance or hostility?
F32H	Slap or spank the child in a disciplinary way?
F32I	Scold or criticize the child during visit?
F33	OBSERVE FOR CHILDREN AGE 0-2 YEARS 11 MONTHS Did the parent…
F33A	Tell the child the name of an object/person in a “teaching style” during the visit?
F33B	Interfere with the child’s play or restrict the child more than three times?
F34	OBSERVE FOR CHILDREN AGE 3-17 YEARS Did the parent….
F34A	Encourage the child to contribute?
F34B	Mention the skills of the child?
F34C	Praise the child at least twice during the visit?
F34D	Use a diminutive name (nickname or pet name) for the child?	F30-F43 HOME Observation Scales (validated by Leventhal, Selner-O’Hagan, Brooks-Gunn, Bingenheimer, and Earls 2004) (Adapted)
F35	[ASK] Do you ever get a chance to read to [CHILD]?
F35a.	About how many times a week do you get to do this?
F36	Observe: Does the parent provide toys for child during visit?
F37	Observe presence or absences of various types of toys. For Items NOT observable, Ask Respondent:
F37A	Does [CHILD] have any toys that help him/her develop their strength, like a rocking horse, a crib gym, a ball?
F37B	Does [CHILD] have any toys that he/she can push around, like a toy vacuum cleaner or lawnmower?
F37C	Does [CHILD] have any toys that he/she can cuddle or pretend with like stuffed animals, dolls, action figures, or costumes?
F37D	Does [CHILD] have any items that give them a safe place to play? For instance, does he/she have a high chair, a mobile or a playpen where he/she can play?
F37E	Does [CHILD] have any toys that he/she builds or puts together like blocks? (Anything that encourages hand-eye coordination or fine motor movements)
F37F	Does [CHILD] have any toys that he/she uses for reading or stories such as books or tapes/CD’s with stories to listen to?
F37G	Does [CHILD] have any toys that play music or teach music?
F37H	Does [CHILD] have toys or books that teach nursery rhymes, songs, prayers or poems?	F30-F43 HOME Observation Scales (validated by Leventhal, Selner-O’Hagan, Brooks-Gunn, Bingenheimer, and Earls 2004) (Adapted)
F37I	Does [CHILD] have toys that he/she uses to make arts and crafts, like clay, finger paints, play dough, crayons, or paint?
F37J	Does [CHILD] have any toys with small pieces that he/she can take apart and put back together such as Legos, dolls with clothing, or does he/she ever use scissors to make arts and crafts?
F38	Now I’d like to talk to you about some of the toys you’ve gotten for [CHILD I’m going to ask you whether or not [CHILD] has different kinds of toys in the home now.
F38A	Does [CHILD] have any toy instruments or any real instruments?
F38B	Does [CHILD] have any toys that teach colors?
F38C	Does [CHILD] have any toys that teach sizes?
F38D	Does [CHILD] have any toys that teach shapes
F38E	Does [CHILD] have any toys that teach numbers?
F38F	Does [CHILD] have any toys that teach him/her the names of animals or the sounds and behaviors of animals?
F38G	Does [CHILD] have any puzzles? About how many? **INDICATE YES IF 3 OR MORE
F38H	Does [CHILD] have toys or books that teach nursery rhymes, songs, prayers or poems?
F38I	Does [CHILD] have toys that he/she uses to make arts and crafts, like clay, finger paints, play dough, crayons, or paint?
F38J	Does [CHILD] have any toys with small pieces that he/she can take apart and put back together such as Legos, dolls with clothing, or does he/she ever use scissors to make arts and crafts?	F30-F43 HOME Observation Scales (validated by Leventhal, Selner-O’Hagan, Brooks-Gunn, Bingenheimer, and Earls 2004) (Adapted)
F39	Getting homework done is usually a big hassle in most families. How does it go in yours?
F40	Kids can be pretty sneaky about their homework—they might pretend they don’t have any when they have a lot, or might say they’re finished after they have only looked at it for 10 minutes or so. How do you decide if [CHILD] has really completed all his/her homework?
F41	Do you and [CHILD] ever talk about how your days went? How often do you speak with [CHILD] about his/her day?
F42	Do you and [CHILD] ever sit and watch TV shows together?
F43	Is [CHILD] at all interested in current events?
F44	These are some statements about your home. Please answer which statements are True and which ones are False.	F44a-n Adapted from Gary Evans Chaos measures http://pss.sagepub.com/content/16/7/560.abstract		Chaos in the home can have negative effects on child well-being. It is possible that some interventions may be more effective than others in addressing/reducing chaos in the home.
F44a	There is very little commotion in our home.
F44B	We can usually find things when we need them.
F44C	We almost always seem to be rushed.
F44D	We are usually able to “stay on top of things.”
F44E	No matter how hard we try, we always seem to be running late
F44F	It’s a real “zoo” in our home.
F44G	At home we can talk to each other without being interrupted.
F44H	There is often a fuss going on at our home.
F44I	No matter what our family/household plans, it usually doesn’t seem to work out.
F44J	You can’t hear yourself think in our home.
F44K	I often get drawn into other people’s arguments at home.
F44L	Our home is a good place to relax.
F44M	The telephone takes up a lot of our time at home.
F44N	The atmosphere in our home is calm.
Module 7
Service Receipt			This module is designed to collect self-reported information on receipt of services that may be provided by the study interventions, in order to understand the extent to which study participants receive a range of supportive services.
G1.	For each type of service, please indicate whether you received the service or not.    Assistance obtaining rent subsidy	G1-G34 Adapted from Program Data Collection Guide for Family Options Study	Outcome: Service receipt	G1-G34 allow for the analysis of the variation in service receipt across the different housing interventions.
G2.	Assistance locating housing, negotiation with landlord
G3.	Assistance with moving (expenses, furnishings, etc.); Help to settle in
G4.	Assistance dealing with relationships with landlord and other tenants
G5.	Education (assistance to complete education, GED instruction)
G6.	Job-specific training (e.g., learning to do a specific job, such as data entry, nursing, word processing, retail work)
G7.	Pre-employment supports (e.g., job search assistance, job referrals)
G8.	Post-employment supports (assistance with supplies, uniforms, counseling to assist with job-related problems)
G9.	Assistance finding childcare
G10.	Assistance paying for childcare
G11.	Assistance with transportation
G12.	Computer training	G1-G34 Adapted from Program Data Collection Guide for Family Options Study
G13.	Assistance in obtaining public benefits (food stamps, healthcare, energy assistance, etc.)
G14.	Health care provided on site at a program where you live(d)
G15.	Help to address a stressful or traumatic experience
G16.	Mental health evaluation/assessment
G17.	Outpatient mental health therapy
G18.	12-Step substance abuse programs
	Services for Children
G19.	Developmental screening/testing
G20.	Early intervention NEED MORE EXPLANATION
G21.	After school tutoring
G22.	Summer programs/camp
G23.	Help to enroll in Head Start
G24.	Help to deal with schools, teachers for your child
G25	Help to deal with juvenile justice system, jails, and courts.
	Parent/Family Life/Life Skills
G26.	Money management, budgeting
G27.	Assistance with daily living (i.e. help with time management, goal-setting)
G28.	Parenting support groups
G29.	Family reunification services (getting your kids back)
G30.	Legal services related to civil or criminal matters
G31.	Case management
G32.	Assessment of parent and child needs	G1-G34 Adapted from Program Data Collection Guide for Family Options Study
G33.	Assistance with basic needs (food, clothing)
G34	G34a. I feel/felt the staff at [NAME OF PROGRAM] care about me.	G34a-h New Question
	G34b. When I talk/talked to the staff at [NAME OF PROGRAM], I feel that they listen carefully.
	G34c. It is/was hard to get the staff at [NAME OF PROGRAM] to listen to me.
	G34d. I do/did not think the staff at [NAME OF PROGRAM] cares much about me
	G34e Staff treat/treated clients as if they were children
	G34f. I fee/felt respected by the staff at [NAME OF PROGRAM]
	G34g. Staff ac/acted as if each client is of great value to [NAME OF PROGRAM]
	G34h. Staff act/acted as if they do not respect clients.
G35	G35a. The place you live	G35a-j New Question		G35 is intended to capture information on the family’s relationship with the various service providers.
	G35b. Decorating and furnishing
	G35c. Who could come over
	G35d. When they could come over
	G35e Whether to have overnight guests
	G35f. When caseworkers or other staff could come to see you
	G35g. What services you received
	G35h. Whether or not you must participate in services.
	G35i. Whether you could come and go at any time without having to notify people
	G35j. Whether you lived in a building where other formerly homeless people lived
Module 8
Contact Information			It is possible that HUD may choose to pursue longer term data collection with the study participants, beyond the 18 month follow-up survey. To ensure that supplemental follow-up surveys are feasible, it is important to capture updated contact information for this highly mobile study population.
H1.	When we last spoke on [RA MMYYY or Last Intvw MMYYYY] you said that [CONTACT #1] was a person who would always know where you are and how to reach you. Is [CONTACT#1] still a person who does not live with you and will always know how to contact you	H1 –H14 Adapted from Family Options Study Tracking Interviews	Additional contact information	In order to retain the panel for subsequent follow-up data collection, it is imperative to maintain good secondary contact information.
H2.	When we last spoke on [RA MMYYY or Last Intvw MMYYYY] you said that [CONTACT #2] was a person who would always know where you are and how to reach you. Is [CONTACT#2] still a person who does not live with you and will always know how to contact you?
H3a	What is his/her first name?
H3b.	What is his/her middle name?
H3c.	What is his/her last name?
H3d.	Does his/her name have a suffix?
H4	Could you please tell me the name of another person who does not live with you and will know how to contact you?
H5.	What is (his/her) street address?
H5a.	Is there a complex/building name?
H53b.	Is there an apartment number?
H5c.	In what city?
H5d.	In what state?
H5e.	What is the zip code?
H6.	What is (his/her) home phone number, starting with the area code?
H7.	What is (his/her) cell phone number, starting with the area code?
H8.	What is (his/her) email address?
H9.	What is (his/her) relationship to you?
H10.	What is (his/her) street address?
H10a.	Is there a complex/building name?
H10b.	Is there an apartment number?
H10c.	In what city?
H10d.	In what state?
H10e.	What is the zip code?
H11.	What is (his/her) home phone number, starting with the area code?
H12.	What is (his/her) cell phone number, starting with the area code?
H13.	What is (his/her) email address?
H14.	What is (his/her) relationship to you?

Sources for Questions (Referenced in Item-by-Item Justification)
Acronym	Full Source Name
Family Options Study Baseline and Tracking Surveys	Baseline Survey or Tracking Survey for the Study of Housing and Services Interventions on Homeless Families
Transitional Housing Study	Life After Transitional Housing Study
NSAF	National Survey of American Families
Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families	Effects of Housing Vouchers on Welfare Families Follow-up survey
CMHS/CSAT	Center for Mental Health Services and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatments
MTO Interim Evaluation Survey	Moving to Opportunity for Fair Housing Demonstration Interim Evaluation Survey
USDA/ERS CPS	Food Security Supplement used in the Current Population Survey
NHIS	National Health Interview Survey
HOPE Scale	HOPE Scale
K6	National Co-Morbidity Survey K+6
FOA PTSD	Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder FOA
Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen	Screening for Alcohol Problems in the Emergency Room: A Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen
DAST	Drug Abuse Screening Tests
Supporting Healthy Marriages	Supporting Healthy Marriages
SDQ	Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
New Hope	New Hope Study
LA FANS	Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey
McBride Murry, Velma Routines (SAAF)	Strong African American Families Study
NLSY97	National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997
HOME Scales	The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory
Program Information Guide	Family Options Study Program Information Guide
Rent Study	HUD Rent Study
Pearlin and Schooler	Economic Stressors and Coping Mechanisms (Pearlin and Schooler 1978)
SAMHSA MOMS	Mothers Overcoming and Managing Stress Study

Transitional Housing Study: Life After Transitional Housing Study

In 2005, to fill some of the gaps in knowledge about the nature and effectiveness of transitional housing for families, HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research funded Planmatics, Inc. and its partner, the Urban Institute, to examine the effects of transitional housing on homeless families. In accord with HUD directives, the families studied were those whom TH programs considered “successful graduates,” whatever that term meant within the program context.

The study used a three-stage sampling strategy. Stage 1 involved selecting communities with enough TH capacity to supply the needed number of families and that also would provide variation in community and client characteristics. Stage 2 involved selecting family TH programs operating within the five communities. Stage 3 involved recruiting families leaving the sampled TH programs, interviewing them at the time they left TH, and following them with interviews at 3, 6, and 12 months after they left TH. The study completed a first interview with 195 mothers and 12-month interviews with 179 mothers, for a 92 percent 12-month completion rate. Data collection began in November 2005 and ended in July 2007.

NSAF: National Survey of America’s Families

The National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF) is part of the Urban Institute’s Assessing the New Federalism Project. Its purpose is to track the effects of recent federal policy changes decentralizing many social programs. The NSAF gathers data on economic, health, and social characteristics of children and families, in order to estimate well-being. Specific topics include: participation in government programs, employment, earnings and income, economic hardship, educational attainment, training, family structure, housing arrangements, health insurance coverage, access to and use of health services, health status, psychological well-being, participation in religious and volunteer activities, knowledge of social services, and attitudes about work, welfare, health care, and childbearing.

Effects of Housing Choice Vouchers on Welfare Families Evaluation: Follow-up Survey

The follow-up survey used for the Evaluation of the Effects of Housing Choice Vouchers on Welfare Families gathered an extensive amount of information on the outcomes of interest, including housing and neighborhood, household composition, employment and earnings, health, and services. The survey was used to measure outcomes for the experimental impact study of the effects of voucher receipt.

MTO Interim Evaluation

The Interim Evaluation of the Moving to Opportunity Demonstration examined the impacts of moving from public housing developments in high-poverty neighborhoods to lower poverty neighborhoods. The interim evaluation examined the effects of neighborhood location on a variety of aspects of families’ lives including health, education, employment and training, criminal and risky behavior, mobility, and receipt of public assistance. The Interim Evaluation used in-person interviews with adults, children, and youth, as well as direct educational testing of children and youth to examine impacts. The MTO evaluation also made use of a parent-on-­child/youth module in which parents were asked questions about one or two children or youth ages 5-19.

CPS: Current Population Survey

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey has been conducted for more than 50 years. Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. Other variables include a variety of demographic, industry, and class of worker. Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire.

NHIS 97, NHIS 99: 1997 and 1999 National Health Interview Survey

The NHIS is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and is the primary source of information on the health of the civilian non-institutionalized population of the United States. It obtains information about the amount and distribution of illness, its effects in terms of disability and chronic impairments, and the kinds of health services people receive. The purpose of the survey is to track a broad range of health indicators for the U.S. population as a whole, and for different demographic and socioeconomic groups. It is used for examining disease and disability trends, investigating health care access

HOPE Scale (Snyder)

The adult hope scale (AHS) measures Snyder's cognitive model of hope which defines hope as "a positive motivational state that is based on an interactively derived sense of successful (a) agency (goal-directed energy), and (b) pathways (planning to meet goals)" (Snyder, Irving, & Anderson, 1991, p. 287). The adult hope scale contains 12 items. Four items measure pathways thinking, four items measure agency thinking, and four items are fillers. Participants respond to each item using an 8-point scale ranging from definitely false to definitely true and the scale takes only a few minutes to complete. See Snyder (2002) for a review of hope theory and research.

K6 Kessler, National Co-Morbidity Survey

The K10 and K6 scales were developed with support from the U.S. government's National Center for Health Statistics for use in the redesigned U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). As described in more detail in Kessler et al. (2003), the scales were designed to be sensitive around the threshold for the clinically significant range of the distribution of nonspecific distress in an effort to maximize the ability to discriminate cases of serious mental illness (SMI) from non-cases. A small validation study carried out in a convenience sample in Boston found evidence that the scales perform quite well and that, in fact, the six-question scale is at least as sensitive as the ten-question scale for the purpose of discriminating cases and non-cases of SMI. The K6 is now included in the core of the NHIS as well as in the annual National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

PTSD, Foa: The Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale

The Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) assessment is designed to aid in the detection and diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The PDS assessment parallels DSM-IV^® diagnostic criteria for a PTSD diagnosis and may be administered repeatedly over time to help monitor changes in symptoms.

RAPS: Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen

The Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS) is a five-item instrument, derived from other screens, that is designed to maximize sensitivity while maintaining good specificity. The RAPS4, a further refinement of the RAPS, asks if an individual felt guilt after their drinking (Remorse), could not remember things said or did after drinking (Amnesia), failed to do what was normally expected after drinking (Perform), or had a morning drink (Starter).

DAST: The Drug Abuse Screening Test

The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) was developed in 1982 and is still an excellent screening tool. It is a 28-item self-report scale. The DAST has “exhibited valid psychometric properties” and has been found to be “a sensitive screening instrument for the abuse of drugs other than alcohol.

Supporting Healthy Marriage

The Supporting Healthy Marriage project is the first large-scale, multisite, multiyear, rigorous test of marriage education programs for low-income married couples. Supported by the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the project is motivated by research that indicates that married adults and children raised by both parents in stable, low-conflict households do better on a host of outcomes. Low-income couples face greater challenges to building and maintaining healthy marriages, however, and their families are consequently less likely to experience these benefits. While an extensive body of research on strengthening couple relationships exists, this research consists primarily of small-scale studies of typically short-term programs for middle-class couples. Supporting Healthy Marriage is led by MDRC in collaboration with Abt Associates, Child Trends, Optimal Solutions Group, and Public Strategies Inc., along with leading experts on marriage, marital education programs, and services for low-income families. The project is designed to inform program operators and policymakers of the most effective ways to help couples strengthen and maintain healthy marital relationships. The study includes surveys with couples at 12 and 30 months after random assignment and includes measures of several outcomes including marital relationship outcomes, parental psychological well-being and health, parental employment and economic outcomes, material and financial hardship, social support and networks, co-parenting relationships, parenting, father involvement, and child well-being.

SDQ: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

The SDQ is a brief behavioral screening questionnaire about 3-16 year olds. It exists in several versions to the meet the needs of researchers, clinicians, and educators. All versions of the SDQ ask about 25 attributes, some positive, some negative. These 25 items are divided between five scales: 1) emotional symptoms; 2)conduct problems; 3)hyperactivity/inattention; 4) peer relationship problems and 5) prosocial behavior. The SDQ was included in the 2001 NHIS Supplement. From each family in the NHIS, one sample adult and one sample child (if any children under age 18 are present) are randomly selected. Information on the sample child was obtained from a knowledgeable adult residing in the household. Of the 10,367 children between 4 and 17 in the survey, 9,878 children had complete data on all sections of the SDQ. A parent (biologic, adoptive, or step) was a reporter for 92% of the SDQ sample. A grandparent was the reporter for 4.4%. See www.sdqinfo.org.

New Hope

The principle guiding the New Hope Project — a demonstration program that was implemented in two inner-city areas in Milwaukee from 1994 through 1998 — was that anyone who works full time should not be poor. New Hope offered low-income people who were willing to work full time several benefits, each of which was available for three years: an earnings supplement to raise their income above the poverty level; subsidized health insurance; subsidized child care; and, for people who had difficulty finding full-time work, referral to a wage-paying community service job. The program was designed to increase employment and income as well as use of health insurance and licensed child care, and it was hoped that children would be the ultimate beneficiaries of these changes.

A team of researchers at MDRC and the University of Texas at Austin is examining New Hope’s effects in a large scale random assignment study. This interim report from the study focuses on the families and children of the 745 sample members who had at least one child between the ages of 1 and 10 when they entered the study. The new findings draw on administrative records and survey data covering the period up to five years after study entry (Year 5), that is, two years after the program ended. A final report will examine New Hope’s effects after eight years.

LA.FANS: Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey

L.A. FANS is a longitudinal study of families in Los Angeles County and of the neighborhoods in which they live. The L.A. FANS is specifically designed to answer key research and policy questions in three areas: neighborhood, family, and peer effects on children’s development. Neighborhoods and peers may have a substantial effect on children’s and teen’s behavior and health, their attitudes toward education and work, their chances of becoming a teenage parent, and their educational and employment opportunities. Yet evidence about the influence of families, neighborhoods, and peers is limited. The L.A. FANS will trace the neighborhood and family roots of children’s successes and failures in several areas: cognitive development, school performance, behavioral and emotional development, health, youth violence and crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and adolescent pregnancy.

SAAF: Strong African American Families

The Strong African American Families (SAAF) program was designed for low-income African American children who are nearing adolescence.  The program seeks to prevent initiation to risk behaviors such as drug abuse, alcohol and cigarette use, and sexual activity.  An experimental evaluation in which four counties were randomly assigned to the treatment or a no-treatment control recruited 11-year-old students from schools in each county.  Analyses of the SAAF program found that it was effective in increasing positive parenting behaviors, protective factors in children, and decreasing risk behaviors in children.  Program impacts persisted at a two-year follow-up; children had higher levels of protective factors and were less likely to start drinking alcohol.

HOME: The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory

The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) is designed to measure the quality and extent of stimulation available to a child in the home environment. The HOME serves as a screening device for identifying environments that are not stimulating to children. HOME has separate inventories for infants and toddlers (birth to 3 years old), early childhood (ages 3 to 6), and middle childhood (ages 6 to 10).¹ The infant and toddler inventory is comprised of 45 items organized into 6 subscales: (1) responsiveness to parent, (2) avoidance of restriction and punishment, (3) organization of the environment, (4) appropriate play materials, (5) parental involvement, and (6) variety in daily stimulation.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/ehs/perf_measures/reports/resources_measuring/res_meas_phio.html

Family Options Study Program Information Guide

The purpose of this interview is to document information about each program in the study to describe the interventions. The interview guide includes: general organization and program information; characteristics of housing assistance for housing programs; characteristics of services; program cost recording procedures; and staffing.

Rent Study:

The purpose of the Rent Study is to provide information about possible reforms to the subsidies provided to low-income renters through the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Public and Indian Housing’s Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. HUD conducted the survey to learn about the experiences of people who have recently been on a waiting list for housing assistance. The survey was conducted by Abt Associates.

Pearlin and Schooler (1978): Economic Stressors

Measures developed by Pearling and Schooler to measure economic stressors were adapted by Shinn for studies of homeless families. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2136319

SAMHSA MOMS Mothers Overcoming and Managing Stress Study

The Mothers Overcoming and Managing Stress (MOMS) study was designed to extend previous

investigations of counseling for women who had experienced childhood sexual abuse (McDonagh-

Coyle et al., 2005) and adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use

disorders (Frisman, Ford, Lin, Mallon, & Chang, in press) to address the needs of low-income young

mothers of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. The study goal was to determine if two forms of

counseling were more effective than services as usual in assisting these women in recovering from

PTSD and enhancing their lives and their ability to parent their young children. The study is one of a

series of efforts to develop scientifically-validated approaches to breaking the intergenerational cycle

of trauma and criminal justice involvement by helping under-served people recover from PTSD.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/222910.pdf

Appendix C:DRAFT Item-by-Item Justification 15