Child & Youth Care Forum最新文献

Background

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) assesses psychopathy components of grandiose-manipulative (GM), callous-unemotional (CU), daring-impulsive (DI), and conduct disorder (CD). Research on PSCD is still in its infancy, and further research is necessary to examine its psychometric properties.

Objective

We investigated the correlations between PSCD scores and their corresponding Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) and Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory-Short Version (YPI-S) scores. We also compared their associations with external variables and explored the incremental contribution of PSCD scores over APSD and YPI-S scores. The incremental contribution of PSCD GM, CU, and DI subscales over its CD component was also examined.

Method

A total of 444 students, ranging in age from 9 to 18 years, completed measures assessing psychopathic traits and externalizing and internalizing problems.

Results

Findings indicated expected correlation coefficients between PSCD and its corresponding APSD/YPI-S scores, but APSD CU did not show hypothesized associations with PSCD/YPI-S CU. Overall, PSCD and YPI-S scores showed more expected/consistent correlations with external variables than the APSD. Furthermore, the PSCD GM/CU scores provided incremental contributions over corresponding APSD and YPI-S scores. Finally, the three psychopathic personality components of PSCD offered significant incremental contributions over the PSCD CD subscale in explaining external correlates.

Conclusion

Findings highlight the importance for clinicians and researchers to carefully select psychopathy measures, recognizing that outcomes can differ as a function of chosen measures. Furthermore, results encourage future studies to examine the utility of multiple psychopathy components as specifiers for CD. The implications for practice and avenues for future research are explored.

Background

Home-visiting programs are an often-used intervention for supporting the well-being of families with young children, and there is long-standing interest among researchers in ensuring the effectiveness of this practice. Especially, retention and attrition play important roles in achieving desired outcomes of the intervention.

Objective

This study aims to examine home-visit participation levels among low-income families and explore correlates of the participation levels. It also aims to evaluate patterns of attrition over time and to investigate child and family characteristics that potentially contribute to completion of the program.

Methods

We examined data from 113 families whose children participated in a 15-month kindergarten-transition intervention. All families received supplemental home-visiting activities as a key component of the intervention, beginning at the start of preschool and extending through middle of kindergarten year.

Results

We found that, on average, families completed four out of nine planned home visits, with large dispersion in the number of visits completed. Survival analyses suggested that families who dropped out were most likely to do so at the beginning of the program, with 39% of caregivers maintained to the final visit. Participation in the home-visiting program was related to children’s age and race, as well as children’s academic skill levels.

Conclusion

Study findings have implications for the design and implementation of kindergarten-readiness initiatives targeting low-income families, especially in terms of advancing strategies to maintain families in longitudinal activities.

Background

Anxiety impairs adolescent development and is a risk factor for psychopathology. However, factors related to anxiety impairment’s severity remain poorly studied.

Objective

This study aims to document anxiety impairment across different domains in adolescents and to study associated factors (sociodemographic, specific anxiety, and depressive symptoms, psychological vulnerabilities).

Methods

Adolescents aged 11 to 17 (N = 4616) participated in this cross-sectional correlational study. They were recruited from several schools in Canada and answered questionnaires.

Results

Anxiety impairment was higher in the school domain, compared to the social and family domains. Respectively, 9.64%, 5.23% and 2.02% of adolescents reported experiencing moderate or high impairment in these domains. Controlling for symptom severity, anxiety impairment seemed higher in females, adolescents from regular programs and those starting high school. All types of symptoms predicted school impairment, except the obsessive–compulsive (OC) ones. Symptoms of panic, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress (PTS), as well as depressive symptoms were moderately related to impairment, while the other symptoms were weakly related. Only OC and PTS symptoms did not predict impairment in the social domain, and only PTS, separation anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted impairment in the family domain. Perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty and negative problem orientation predicted impairment levels after controlling for symptom severity.

Conclusions

This study notes relatively high rates of anxiety impairment in high school and suggests more school impairment. It offers possible explanatory factors that could be useful to establish more detailed models and interventions.

Background

The prevalence of trauma among young people is alarming due to its considerable effects on their wellbeing and development. Parents can provide crucial support for young people exposed to trauma, however, there is limited research on how parents can help young people exposed to trauma from a youth perspective.

Objective

This study explored the perspectives of young people regarding strategies and approaches parents can take to assist young people to cope with traumatic events.

Methods

An anonymous online survey created in Australia was distributed to young people aged 15 to 18 years to identify what parents can do to help young people exposed to trauma. A total of 159 young people completed the survey.

Results

Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that young people felt parents could listen to and validate the experiences of young people and provide them with help and guidance. Young people recommended that parents should support those who have experience trauma by adopting a non-confrontational, empathetic, and understanding approach, and refrain from expressing anger, judgment, dismissiveness, ridicule, or blame. Young people also recommended parents encourage, empower, and provide guidance to young people exposed to trauma. Participants spoke about the importance of parents spending time with young people and ensuring that young people have access to mental health support. However, participants highlighted that parents should not pressure young people to engage in counselling.

Conclusions

Implications from this study emphasise the importance of education and resources to help parents support, promote recovery and prevent further harm and re-traumatisation of young people exposed to trauma. This study has implications for mental health professionals working with parents to help them effectively support young people exposed to trauma. Results from this study inform the development of trauma-informed parenting programs to ensure that young people exposed to trauma receive adequate parental support.

Background

Excessive worry during adolescence can significantly impact mental health. Understanding adolescent concerns may help inform mental health early intervention strategies.

Objective

This study aimed to identify frequent concerns among Australian secondary school students, exploring individual and demographic differences. Whether adolescents’ most frequently reported concern was associated with mental health and wellbeing was also investigated.

Methods

A total of N = 4086 adolescents (Mage = 13.92) participated in an online survey, reporting their top concerns alongside demographic characteristics, mental health, and wellbeing. Data were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Results

Thematic analysis identified 11 different themes of adolescent concerns. A frequency analysis showed concerns relating to ‘School and Academics’ were most common (24.52% of all responses), consistent across females, males, school location (regional vs metropolitan areas), and socioeconomic background. Sexuality and gender diverse adolescents more frequently reported concerns about ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ and ‘Social Relationships’. Linear mixed models found ‘School and Academic’ concerns were associated with lower symptoms of depression (p < .001, d = 0.16) and anxiety (p < .001, d = 0.19) and higher wellbeing (p = .03, d = 0.07) compared to all other concerns.

Conclusion

‘School and Academic’ concerns were most common, however not associated with poorer mental health or wellbeing. Sexuality and gender diverse adolescents were more likely to report concerns regarding ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing’ and ‘Social Relationships’. Efforts aimed solely at reducing academic stress may not be the most effective approach to improving adolescent mental health. Longitudinal data into how concerns evolve over time could provide a nuanced understanding of their relationship with future mental health challenges.

Background

There is evidence to suggest that undocumented, unaccompanied migrant youths confront emotional and physical hardships while working in the U.S. agriculture industry. However, little is known about the type of support available to these youths that could protect them from negative developmental outcomes.

Objective

This qualitative research was designed to explore Guatemalan migrant youths’ available support types, expectations of coming to the U.S. for work, and the life lessons learned from being undocumented, unaccompanied minors in the agriculture industry.

Methods

A total of 10 unaccompanied Guatemalan youths (age range 15–17 years, Mage = 16.4 years; 100% male; 100% undocumented) participated in individual semi-structured audio-voice-recorded interviews in the Southeast. Interview responses were transcribed, coded, and analyzed.

Results

Thematic analysis yielded three primary interconnected themes: (1) “Coping and managing sadness by reaching out to others,” (2) “I have a dream but then, reality hits,” and (3) “Life lessons for future migrants.”

Conclusion

Findings suggest that despite their vulnerable social position, Guatemalan migrant youth in U.S. agriculture displayed an optimistic attitude, exercised persistence, and developed resourcefulness. Besides these competencies, youth possessed social networks with left-behind families, developed and leveraged new social ties to “manage sadness,” and built a tight-knit community away from their countries of origin.

Background

Seeking help is an essential step for victims of bullying to cope with and possibly stop bullying and thus prevent and reduce the consequences of bullying. Focusing on the group of bullied adolescents, however, shows that many of them do not seek help.

Objectives

This study aimed to (1) describe the prevalence of help-seeking for bullying victimization, (2) analyze the relationship between help-seeking and associated individual factors, (3) describe the prevalence of formal help-seeking, and (4) investigate associations between formal help-seeking and the factors above.

Method

A subsample of a nationally representative survey of n = 453 12- to 17-year-old adolescents who reported being bullied in the last couple of months was analyzed. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate factors associated with help-seeking and formal help-seeking.

Results

Of the bullied adolescents, 60% sought help after experiencing victimization. Among these, 32% sought formal help, for example, from social workers. Most (63%) also sought help from family and friends. Family cohesion and self-efficacy were positively and well-being was negatively associated with help-seeking. Among adolescents who sought help, age was positively and self-efficacy was negatively associated with formal help-seeking.

Conclusion

A trustful and supportive environment, especially within families, is essential to facilitate adolescents' help-seeking. Within formal settings, specific procedures for identifying and addressing bullied adolescents are necessary for younger adolescents and adolescents with lower self-efficacy.

Background

Fear of missing out (FoMO) and homesickness have been associated with a variety of negative psychosocial outcomes; however, they have rarely been studied together or with adolescents in residential settings.

Objective

This study examined the potential associations of FoMO and homesickness with program outcomes in a sample of adolescents attending a military-style residential program. The residential treatment context inherently involves removal and isolation from an individual’s typical living arrangements.

Methods

Data were collected from 185 participants (aged 16–18) at three time points (i.e., 2 weeks after entry into the 19-week program; 9 weeks into the program; at week 18 of the program). RESULTS: Overall, FoMO and homesickness declined from initial assessment to midway through the program but rebounded just prior to exit from the program. FoMO and homesickness showed no direct correlations with participant outcomes, although both showed patterns of correlation demonstrating poor adjustment (e.g., low emotion regulation, high loneliness). Decreases in FoMO and homesickness during the program were positively correlated with distress tolerance.

Conclusions

Given the negative implications of experiencing FoMO and homesickness, adolescents at risk for emotional distress tolerance may need additional support when initiating participation in residential programs.

Abstract

Background

Although the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) was developed for adults, its authors noted no compelling reasons to not use the measure with youth as young as 12 years. Despite increasingly widespread use with youth, psychometric evidence in support of its use with this population needs to be investigated to fully understand its utility.

Objective

The goal of this paper was to conduct a systematic review to identify and appraise evidence for the psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) when used with youth populations.

Methods

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review identified 18 studies that reported relevant information on the psychometrics of the DASS-21 with youth samples. Each article was coded for evidence of three indicators of particular importance to progress monitoring: reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change.

Results

Studies have found varied factor structures (i.e., 1–4 factors) for the DASS-21 and validity evidence based on relations to other variables has been limited. As such, further research is needed to understand the utility of the depression, anxiety, and stress subscales. Furthermore, no information is currently available about the sensitivity to change of the measure.

Conclusions

Most studies reporting psychometric properties in this review utilized the DASS-21 with mixed-gender groups of secondary school students, thus supporting its use with similar populations. Pending additional inquiry, however, both researchers and practitioners are encouraged to utilize the total score, for which stronger evidence of reliability and validity exist.