Pollio D E, Thompson S J, North C S
George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA.
Community Ment Health J. 2000 Jun;36(3):247-58. doi: 10.1023/a:1001905114143.
This study explored agency-based tracking methods for one of the most difficult-to-follow populations: runaway and homeless youth.
A total of 118 program discharges from three federally funded agencies serving runaway/ homeless youth in St. Louis, Missouri were tracked for a follow-up study of this population. Agency staff attempted to locate and interview program participants three months post-discharge using a protocol that systematically varied times and location of contact attempts. Separate analyses were conducted to compare the group of subjects whose locations were ascertained with those who were not, and who were successfully interviewed with those who were not. Variables related to the tracking protocol and individual descriptive and service use variables were examined in these analyses.
Sixty-nine percent of the sample was successfully located and fifty-nine percent interviewed. Significant findings included: fewer contact attempts over fewer days were made for individuals successfully interviewed, individuals tracked through Division of Family Services were less likely to be both located and interviewed, and individuals successfully located were significantly younger.
This report provides encouraging evidence that even relatively unsophisticated protocols for tracking agency clients developed in collaboration with community agencies can--with consistent implementation--yield follow-up samples that are acceptably representative of program participants.
本研究探索了针对一类最难追踪人群——离家出走和无家可归青少年的基于机构的追踪方法。
对来自密苏里州圣路易斯市为离家出走/无家可归青少年服务的三个联邦资助机构的118名项目出院者进行追踪，以对该人群进行后续研究。机构工作人员试图在出院三个月后使用一种系统改变联系尝试时间和地点的方案来找到并采访项目参与者。进行了单独分析，以比较已确定位置的受试者组与未确定位置的受试者组，以及成功接受采访的受试者组与未成功接受采访的受试者组。在这些分析中检查了与追踪方案以及个体描述性和服务使用变量相关的变量。
69%的样本被成功找到，59%接受了采访。显著发现包括：成功接受采访的个体联系尝试次数更少，且在更少天数内完成；通过家庭服务部追踪的个体被找到并接受采访的可能性更小；成功找到的个体明显更年轻。
本报告提供了令人鼓舞的证据，即即使是与社区机构合作制定的相对简单的追踪机构客户的方案，只要持续实施，也能产生具有可接受代表性的项目参与者后续样本。
