<p> Becoming employed after release is one of the most effective ways for returning citizens to successfully reintegrate into the community and to prevent recidivism. However, individuals recently released from jails and prisons face unique challenges, both personal and environmental, that impede this process. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a microtrial intervention for 47 recently released ex-offenders actively seeking employment. This intervention, tailored from the Michigan JOBS program, was designed to keep job seekers motivated. The researcher hypothesized that the intervention would increase levels of job search efficacy, self-efficacy, and job search behaviors both immediately after the intervention as well as at the two week follow-up, and that this relationship would be moderated by the personality factor of impulsivity. Previous research has linked higher levels of impulsivity with diminished follow-through and reduced engagement in goal-directed behaviors. The outcome of this study did not support this model, as impulsivity did not moderate this relationship, neither immediately after the intervention nor at the two week follow-up. Impulsivity was assessed using both self-report and behavioral measures. While it was predicted that the three measures of impulsivity would correlate highly and form a latent factor, the behavioral measure did not correlate strongly with one of the self-report measures, and therefore moderation analyses were run separately for each measure. Testing the effects of the intervention without the impulsivity moderator found that the inoculation against setbacks module increased levels of job search efficacy immediately after the intervention, but this effect faded by the two week follow-up. No other effects of the intervention by condition were found. The benefits and drawbacks of the microtrial methodology are described in greater detail, and future directions for interventions with this population are suggested. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3609537 |
| Date | 27 February 2014 |
| Creators | Hornberger, Anna P. |
| Publisher | The George Washington University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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