University Study Looks to Develop Intervention Program for At-Risk Adolescent Girls

Danielle Parrish, an assistant professor in the Graduate College of Social Work of the University of Houston, is conducting research on risk behaviors of girls in juvenile detention centers. Parrish found that up to one third of the girls in a Houston center were visibly pregnant.

Armed with a $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Parrish will conduct a study entitled, “Choices-Teen: A Bundled Risk Reduction Intervention for Juvenile Justice Females.” Dr. Parrish will mount an intensive prevention intervention program with 30 girls on probation with Harris County authorities. The goal of the intervention is to reduce risky behaviors that lead to pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and substance abuse. The goal of the project is to develop a program that can be used in probation departments nationwide.

Dr. Parrish stated, “As a mental health clinician in the juvenile justice system, I noticed there were stark differences in terms of what the females needed in their program and what the males needed. When I looked to the research, I found very limited information on gender-specific interventions for adolescent females in the juvenile justice system that addressed these unique risks.”

Dr. Parrish holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University Fresno. She earned a doctorate in social work at the University of Texas.