Today's low-income families must patch together safety nets from disparate sources of assistance within the context of budget cuts and the growing need for services due to the impact of the Great Recession. Doing this involves a complex and unacknowledged form of labor termed the unspoken shift, which generally falls on the shoulders of women. This article approaches the patchwork safety net system through the perspective of low-income mothers in Boston. Using findings from 6 years of research with low-income families, it argues for a more comprehensive approach to providing social services and reforming public policy.
The Collaborative Language and Literacy Instruction Project (CLLIP) is a model of professional development designed to help teachers incorporate research-based practices of literacy instruction, support mastery, and sustained use of these practices through coaching, and serve as a foundation for whole-school reform efforts. We describe the model, intervention, implementation, and subsequent results from an exploratory study in which we tested student literacy outcomes for kindergartners and fourth graders in the classrooms of CLLIP teachers against a matched comparison group. Exploratory results from a rural cohort of elementary school teachers suggest support for skill building in the alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, fluency, and vocabulary. We discuss outcomes by reflecting on central program features: CLLIP strengthens teachers' content knowledge and ties that knowledge to subject-specific content for students, has extended duration and support, is tied to state standards, and involves collective participation across a district to advance reform efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Co-occurring disorders are important to consider in planning smoking cessation interventions with adolescents. We identify factors associated with smoking and predictors for smoking cessation readiness in a group of adolescents in a residential addiction treatment program. Methods: We conducted a chart review study of 400 clinical records of adolescents aged 13 to 18 at a short-term residential addiction treatment program. We examined the relationships of smoking with use of other drugs, psychiatric disorders, and adverse events. Results: The rate of smoking in the total sample was 79%. Smoking onset was positively associated with the onset of alcohol and other drugs of abuse but followed the onset of cannabis use for over half the sample. Heavy smoking, defined as smoking 10 cigarettes per day on average, was correlated with cocaine and opiate addiction. Over half of the sample (56%) was precontemplative about smoking cessation, whereas 30% were in the contemplative stage (ready to stop in 6 months); 12% were in preparation stage (ready to stop in 30 days); and 2% reported that they already had stopped. Heavy smoking was associated with being precontemplative as was earlier onset of drinking relative to smoking and bipolar diagnosis. Conclusions: Smoking is common in adolescents seeking drug and alcohol treatment and is correlated with the onset and progression of other drug use. Increasing motivation for change and addressing the interface of nicotine, other drugs, and mental health are important for smoking cessation interventions for adolescents in residential addiction treatment settings.
When African American and White women work in higher education in the United States, we are working in institutions which were built on the exclusion of all of us. But we were excluded to different degrees, and those differences in degree persist no matter how much we all may appear to be "in,"
This study was meant to discern the level of interest in sex-related topics of 6th graders in order to better shape the type of health education they receive. The study looked into whether the results differed in co-ed schools versus single-sex environments in addition to whether the results were influenced by school-level sexual risk. Some of the themes that came up most often within the study were sexual activity, female anatomy, reproduction, and puberty. The study found that students in lower sexual-risk schools tended to avoid sexual topics in questions, while students in higher risk did not. Additionally, questions asked by students of single-sex schools tended to be more direct and explicit than those from students attending co-ed schools. This study is important for educators and healthcare providers who early adolescents often turn to with questions regarding sexual health.
In this study, researchers examined whether a nine-lesson sex education intervention, "Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works," implemented in sixth grade, could reduce the number of adolescents who might otherwise become "early starters" of sexual activity (defined as heterosexual intercourse) by seventh grade. Participants were 548 boys and 675 girls who completed surveys in both sixth grade (baseline) and seventh grade (follow-up). The sample was 35% Latinx, 32% Black, 24% White, 3% Asian, and 6% biracial. Students randomly assigned to the control condition were 30% more likely to initiate sex by follow-up when controlling for having had sex by sixth grade, demographic variables, and a tendency to give socially desirable responses. This finding is noteworthy because previous research has identified early starters to be prone to poor outcomes in sexual health, family formation, economic security, and incarceration and few middle school interventions have shown an effect on behavioral outcomes.
Abstract: An intergenerational model is developed, nesting heritable earning abilities and credit constraints limiting human capital investments in children. Estimates on a large, Finnish data panel indicate very low transmission from parental earnings, suggesting that the parameter of inherited earning ability is tiny. Family income, particularly during the phase of educating children, is shown to be much more important in shaping children's lifetime earnings. This influence of parental incomes on children's earnings rises as the children age because the returns to education rise. Despite Finland's well-developed welfare state, persistence in economic status across generations is much higher than previously thought.
Abstract: This article focuses on discussing risks for depression onset and the role of environmental factors in promoting resilience in children and adolescents. The authors review the current literature on specific (eg, family history of depression) and nonspecific (eg, poverty, stressful life events) risk factors for youth depression to underscore the need for prevention efforts promoting resiliency in this population.
This research note describes the use of latent class analysis to examine how three dimensions of religiosity-the importance of religion (religious salience), attendance at religious services, and frequency of prayer-cluster together to form unique profiles. Building upon recent research identifying different profiles of religiosity at the level of the individual, we used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to identify dyadic profiles of religious concordance or discordance between 14,202 adolescents and their mothers. We identified five profiles: one concordant (27% of sample), two discordant (25% of sample), and two of mixed concordance/discordance (49%). The profiles distinguish between various levels of adolescent/mother relations, suggesting that they may represent distinct family dynamics. They also distinguish between several variables (race, adolescent age, geographical region) in predictable ways, providing additional demonstration of the categories' meaningfulness.
Abstract: Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behavior. However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infections, delaying sex, and using protection. Compared with parents who were older when they had children (later parents), early parents were more likely to report having had negative sexuality communications with their families of origin and to express a wish to communicate differently with their own children. Early parents were more likely than later parents to discuss risks of early parenthood and to rely on extended family involvement in sexuality communication. Findings suggest that early parents may bring unique perspectives that enable them to approach sexuality communication differently than do later parents.
Abstract: An intergenerational model is developed, nesting heritable earning abilities and credit constraints limiting human capital investments in children. Estimates on a large, Finnish data panel indicate very low transmission from parental earnings, suggesting that the parameter of inherited earning ability is tiny. Family income, particularly during the phase of educating children, is shown to be much more important in shaping children's lifetime earnings. This influence of parental incomes on children's earnings rises as the children age because the returns to education rise. Despite Finland's well-developed welfare state, persistence in economic status across generations is much higher than previously thought.
Abstract: Out-of-school-time programs, especially arts-based programs, can be critical players in a community's efforts to prevent school dropout. This research review suggests the following approaches for arts-based programs: (1) recruitment and retention of target populations with multiple risk factors; (2) long-term skill development that engages youth behaviorally, emotionally, and academically rather than a drop-in culture; (3) an emphasis on the critical ingredient of real-world applications through performance; (4) staff development and mentoring; (5) a strategic community-level plan for dropout prevention; (6) and program content reframed toward competencies that underlie better school performance and prosocial behavior, such as communication, initiative, problem solving, motivation, and self-efficacy.
This paper examines the ways that early adolescents talked, interacted, and made references to events in their individual and collective lives during photography-based focus groups about sexuality and relationships. Twenty-three participants (10 boys and 13 girls) were recruited from three urban schools participating in a comprehensive sex education impact evaluation in the Northeast. The researchers analyzed conversational narratives that were elicited in a group process while sharing photos of important people, contexts, and situations, showcasing participants' exploration of sexuality and relationships. The analysis revealed four main themes: (a) direct and indirect family communication about sexuality, (b) accidental and intentional internet usage, (c) shared and contested peer knowledge, and (d) school as a direct and indirect learning context.
Abstract: A stages-of-change motivational interviewing (SOCMI) treatment approach was compared with a standard cognitive behavioral therapy gender reeducation (CBTGR) approach in a sample of 528 English-speaking and Spanish-speaking male batterers who were randomly assigned to 49 26-week groups in either condition. Blind ratings of therapist adherence differentiated the two conditions. Language spoken neither predicted outcome nor interacted with treatment. The SOCMI curriculum led to significant reductions in female partners' reports of physical aggression at follow-up, but not to changes in self-reported aggression. Men who were initially less ready to change benefited more from the SOCMI approach while men who were more ready to change benefited more from the CBTGR approach. Results suggest the importance of tailoring abuser intervention programs to individuals' initial readiness to change.
Abstract: Relational health, a termed coined by Liang et al. (2001) to reflect Relational-Cultural Theory concepts, is the presence of growth-fostering characteristics in significant relationships. Although growth-fostering relationships have been conceptualized as relevant across the lifespan, existing research has mainly explored the experiences of college students and adults. In this study, the authors seek to create a developmentally appropriate instrument called the Relational Health Indices for Youth (RHI-Y) for studying growth-fostering relationships among early and mid-adolescents. This measure adapts the original adult RHI instrument for a younger population (i.e., utilizing a simpler vocabulary and containing fewer items). Measurement development resulted in six-item scales assessing relational health in three different relationship domains: friendships, relationships with an adult mentor, and relationships with members of a community group. Results indicate that the RHI-Y scales are valid, reliable measures of growth-fostering relationships. Preliminary findings about the correlates of relational health in youth are discussed.
Abstract: In this article, we operationalize identification of mixed racial and ethnic ancestry among adolescents as a latent variable to (a) account for measurement uncertainty, and (b) compare alternative wording formats for racial and ethnic self-categorization in surveys. Two latent variable models were fit to multiple mixed-ancestry indicator data from 1,738 adolescents in New England. The first, a mixture factor model, accounts for the zero-inflated mixture distribution underlying mixed-ancestry identification. Alternatively, a latent class model allows classification distinction between relatively ambiguous versus unambiguous mixed-ancestry responses. Comparison of individual indicators reveals that the Census 2000 survey version estimates higher prevalence of mixed ancestry but is less sensitive to relative certainty of identification than are alternate survey versions (i.e., offering a "mixed"
Abstract: Urban youths' agency to represent their realities through media has been largely unexplored in the youth development literature. In this qualitative case study of an after-school youth media program in the Bay Area, expressions of youth agency and the role of audiences are explored during the process of producing videos for public consumption. METHODOLOGY: As participant observer of 14 ethnically diverse youth participants aged between 15 and 18 years over 18 months, I documented (a) the kind of agencies participants engaged in and (b) the impact of live and imagined future audiences on youths' creative processes. Analyses of field notes, semi-structured interviews, and media projects were conducted using thematic analysis to inductively generate emerging categories. FINDINGS: Themes included an agentive sense of self-efficacy, commitment, and responsibility, as well as perceived contributions to local audiences and an emerging collective identity. The youth demonstrated their increased sense of a social or civic duty to realistically represent youth of color to familiar and unfamiliar audiences. IMPLICATIONS: This case study demonstrated how one youth media organization fostered agency through youth authorship, production, distribution, and local community dialogue. By documenting the impact of audiences from conception to public reception, this study provides valuable insight into the agentive process of publicly "performing" a commitment to complete a social change video project. CONTRIBUTION: This chapter underscores the value of performance within youth development programs and the critical component of audiences as one form of authentic assessment in order to foster individual and collective agency.
Abstract: This mixed-method study used a grounded theory approach to explore the meanings underlying the importance that adolescents attach to their racial-ethnic identities. The sample consisted of 923 9th- to 12th-grade students from Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Thematic findings identified a broad range of explanations for adolescents' racial-ethnic centrality, ranging from pride and cultural connection to ambivalence and colorblind attitudes. While racial-ethnic groups differed in reported levels of racial-ethnic centrality, few group differences were identified in participants' thematic explanations, with the exception of racial-ethnic and gender differences for Positive Regard and Disengagement. These findings highlight the diversity of meanings that adolescents attribute to their racial-ethnic centrality as well as the many commonalities among adolescents across gender and racial-ethnic groups.
Abstract: We evaluate the effects of the school system on mathematical, verbal, and logical reasoning skills using data from the Finnish comprehensive school reform that abolished the two-track school system. We use a difference-in-differences approach that exploits the gradual implementation across the country. Cognitive skills are measured using test scores from the Finnish Army Basic Skills Test. The reform had small positive effects on verbal test scores but no effect on the mean performance in the arithmetic or logical reasoning tests. However, the reform significantly improved the scores of the students whose parents had less than a high school education.
Abstract: The past half-century saw dramatic changes in families that altered the daily experiences of many young children. As more mothers of young children entered the labor force, increasing numbers of young children spent substantial hours in various child-care settings. These changes gave rise to a large body of research on the impact of the quality of early child care on children's development. However, a full understanding of the role of the quality of early child care requires consideration of the interplay among child care, family, workplace, and society. This article places what we know about the quality of early child care and children's development in this larger ecological context, and suggests directions for future research and practice.
Edited by: Judith V. Jordan, Ph.D
Relational-Cultural theory (RCT) proposes that all people grow through and toward relationships throughout the lifespan. RCT challenges prevailing theories that depict the "separate self" as the hallmark of maturity. Rather than movement toward autonomy and separation, RCT suggests we develop ever more differentiated ways of connecting. An increase in growth-fostering relationships results in: a sense of vitality and zest; increasing clarity about ourselves and others; augmented creativity and ability to take action; an experience of worth and empowerment; and a desire for more connectedness with others. Disconnections are inevitable in relationships and RCT focuses on relational resilience, the ways people can re-establish positive and growth-fostering relationships.
RCT further emphasizes the importance of cultural and societal forces in causing either growth-fostering connection or destructive disconnection. This volume explores the process of change in therapy and in other relationships; how race and other forms of stratification create pain; and how people develop resilience and strength in relationships characterized by mutuality.
This book was based on a special issue of Women and Therapy.
Abstract:
This article evaluates two prevention strategies, one clinician-based approach and one lecture-style approach, for families with a parent who suffered from a mood disorder and at least one non-depressed child between ages 8 and 15. Both interventions produced sustained effects through approximately 4.5 years after enrollment. The families in the clinician-based program had significantly more gains in parental child-related behaviors and attitudes and in child-reported understanding of parental disorder. These findings demonstrate that brief, family-centered preventive interventions for parental depression may contribute to long-term, sustained improvements in family functioning.
Abstract:
This study identified types of discrimination faced by Asian American adolescents and investigated how discrimination impacted emotional health. The study findings suggest that teachers and counselors should pay attention to Asian American adolescents' experiences, particularly with other students.
Family effects on an individual's labor market success have been studied by economists and sociologists. The consensus is that background matters to educational and labor market performance, but it is not clear how and why. I look at indicators of family background and sibling structure, analyzing their effect on educational attainment and earnings. Parental income, schooling and other characteristics are amongst the main determinants of schooling. Also, sibling structure and density affect education, but have no effect on earnings. Sibling density and sex composition are tested as instruments for schooling. With the IV-strategy, estimated return to schooling decreases from 9 to 7 percent for men, but increases to 11-14 percent for women.
Abstract: A description of the NICHD Study of Early Child Cares examination of the relationship between child care and children's development over the first seven years of life
This paper investigates the evolution of regional disparities in Finland between 1988 and 1997. The analysis focuses on per capita GDP and its subcomponents, particularly labour productivity, jobs and population. The results show, first, that the evolution of labour productivity and the number of jobs account for the emerged regional divergence of per capita GDP during 1990-1995. Second, even though inter-regional migration tends to have convergent effects on regional per capita GDP, its effect was not strong enough during 1990-1995: the divergence of productivity and jobs dominated. Third, among divergent factors (productivity and jobs), manufacturing contributes the most to the divergence of per capita GDP, whereas private services is the main convergent sector. One conclusion of the paper is that the divergent forces are gaining strength at the expense of convergent ones, as migration directs population into largest regional centres. A decline in convergent factors may occur as migration decreases the need for private sector jobs outside the centres.
Abstract:
Beardslee, Versage, and Gladstone reviewed literature that investigates the effects of parental affective illness on children. They found a number of longitudinal studies that confirmed children of affectively ill parents are at a greater risk for psychiatric disorders than children from homes with non-ill parents. The authors noted that by age 20, a child with an affectively ill parent has a 40 percent chance of experiencing an episode of major depression. Overall, the authors concluded that the presence of depression in parents should alert clinicians to the fact that their children may also be depressed and in need of services.
Children of affectively ill parents: a review of the past 10 years
Abstract:
Thirty-seven families with a child between the ages of 8 and 15 and at least one parent who had experienced a recent episode of affective disorder were assigned randomly to one of two psychoeducational interventions. The interventions (clinician-facilitated or lecture-group discussion) were designed to prevent childhood depression and related problems through decreasing the impact of related risk factors and encouraging resiliency-promoting behaviors and attitudes. They were similar in content but differed in the level of the children's involvement and the degree to which the families' individual life experiences were linked to the educational material. Assessments included standard diagnostic and social functioning instruments and interviews designed specifically for this project to assess behavior and attitude change. Each parent and child was individually assessed by separate assessors who were blind to information about the other family members. Parent participants in both groups reported being satisfied with the intervention. Clinician group participants reported a significantly larger number of overall changes, as well as higher levels of change regarding communications about the illness with their children and increased understanding by the children of their illness. Significantly more children in the clinician group also reported they gained a better understanding of parental affective illness as a result of their participation in the project.
Examination of preventive interventions for families with depression: Evidence of change
Abstract:
The authors examined the long-term effects of two forms of preventive interventions designed to increase families' understanding of parental affective disorder and to prevent depression in children. Families who had a nondepressed child between age 8 and 15 were randomly assigned to either a clinician-facilitated intervention or a lecture discussion group. Children in the clinician-facilitated group reported greater understanding of parental affective disorder and had better adaptive functioning after intervention. Parents in the clinician-facilitated intervention reported significantly more change. The authors concluded that the findings from both interventions supported the value of future-oriented, resiliency-based approaches. The greater effects of the clinician-facilitated intervention support the need for linking cognitive information to families' life experience and involving children directly in order to achieve long-term effects.
Examination of children's responses to two preventive intervention strategies over time
Abstract:
The authors compared two cognitive, psychoeducational preventive interventions for families in which a parent had an affective disorder. Families with a child between 8 and 15 years of age and at least one parent who had experienced a recent episode of affective disorder were studied. The interventions were similar in content but different in the degree of involvement of the children and in how they linked information to the families' life experiences. One was a clinician-facilitated intervention and one was a lecture-style intervention. One and a half years after enrollment, self-reports and accessor-ratings for those in the clinician-facilitated intervention were associated with more positive changes than the lecture intervention.
Sustained change in parents receiving preventive interventions for families with depression
Abstract:
The article reviews associations between attributional styles and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.
Depression and attributions in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review
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