Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal最新文献

Extensive policy and practice attention aims to support young people as they seek to achieve educational and career goals yet there are widely varying trajectories toward these goals that reflect individual preferences and social inequalities. This study reports findings from qualitative interviews with 16 young adults currently enrolled in a primarily vocational pathway at a community college and who had prior involvement with child welfare, juvenile justice or mental health systems. Using a narrative approach, respondents described their career and educational pathways including their current status, antecedents, and future trajectory. Key factors that have impacted their pathway include their initial vocational interests, messages from within their social networks, and impacts of work and family life on educational goals. Study results have implications for better supporting young people with system involvement to identify and achieve their educational and career goals.

This study investigated the associations among acculturative family distancing in communication and values, family conflicts (parent-adolescent conflict, interparental conflict), and depressive symptoms and the mediating effects of family conflicts in the associations between acculturative family distancing in communication and values, and depressive symptoms in KA adolescents. Path analysis was used to analyze data from a cross-sectional survey of 339 Korean American adolescents (Mage = 14.99, SD = 1.67; 53% female) residing in New York City and New Jersey. Measurements include the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale, Acculturative Family Distancing Youth Report Scale (AFD-YR), the Family Conflicts Scale (FCS), and the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale. All path coefficients for the final model were statistically significant. There were significant mediating effects of parent-adolescent conflict and interparental conflict on the associations between acculturative family distancing in communication and values and depressive symptoms. The study suggests acculturative family distancing may be a contextual risk factor for depressive symptoms among KA youth. Additionally, greater acculturative family distancing may erode the strength and quality of family relationships. One of the objectives of this study was to test the AFD theory which identifies more problematic dimensions of intergenerational acculturation gap that increase risk for family conflict. The findings of the current study not only support but also build on the AFD theory by examining its relationship to both interparental and parent-adolescent conflicts.

This study aimed to observe contraceptive access, including types of contraceptives and level of use, among girls and young adults living in foster care following a state policy insurance change. This cohort study utilized linked, state administrative data to analyze child welfare and Medicaid claims data of 1641 female foster youth in Michigan. Oral tablets with a supply of 30 days before exhaustion was the most frequently prescribed contraceptive (77%), while injections, implants, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) that have longer periods of use before exhaustion were rarely prescribed. Longer-term use products were prescribed with decreased frequency in the Medicaid Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) period than in the Medicaid Fee for Service (FFS) period. Foster youth placed in residential care experienced greater access to contraceptive care than those placed in family-based settings (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 0.63, 95% CI = (0.56–0.72)) and those living independently (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 0.55, 95% CI = (0.48–0.64)). Those in the largest urban county had less access (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 0.81, 95% CI = (0.71–0.92)) to contraceptives than those from other counties in the State. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Sexual and gender diverse youth and young adults (SGDY) experience significant mental health disparities compared to non-SGDY and lack access to culturally responsive mental health supports. Limited literature on affirmative interventions for SGDY exists. As part of a larger pilot study, the present qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of SGDY who received the Tuned In! intervention to explore its potential benefit in supporting SGDY mental health. Tuned In! is a virtual affirmative mindfulness-based intervention, co-created with and for SGDY. SGDY (16–29 yrs.) were recruited from Connecticut to participate in the intervention via social media advertisements, and were invited to follow-up virtual focus groups after completing the intervention. Twenty-five SGDY participated in four virtual focus groups, with an additional 12 SGDY providing written feedback. The following overarching research questions guided this study: (1) What are the experiences of SGDY participating in the Tuned In! intervention? (2) What specific improvements are needed to provide enhanced support for SGDY participating in the Tuned In! intervention? Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three overarching themes: (1) mindfulness and self-compassion can support SGDY well-being, (2) spaces that cultivate SGDY community, and (3) the importance of diversity, safety, inclusion, and accessibility. Findings suggest Tuned In! can support SGDY mental health, which points to practical recommendations for future evaluation and implementation of affirmative mindfulness-based interventions for SGDY.

In contrast to the international context of residential care and the preference for family based care, residential care in Portugal is the only option for most young people in the child protection system. Despite this, research in Portugal has yet to focus on Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) and has rarely considered the narratives of young people. By adopting the conceptual framework proposed by Farmer et al. (2017) and focusing on five critical domains (Setting, Staffing, Treatment Approach, Safety, and Milieu Factor), we aimed to identify a subset of factors that contribute to youth improvement. This convergent parallel mixed methods study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 young people, mostly female (71%), aged 14–18 years (M = 16.3, SD = 1.8), at five TRC facilities in Portugal. Young people and staff also completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the youth self-report or child behaviour checklist to assess internalising and externalising symptoms. Content analysis revealed mostly positive perceptions and experiences across the domains (Setting, Staffing, Treatment Approach, Safety, Milieu Factor and Profile Characteristics). However, half of the youth reported being vulnerable to peer contagion and females with higher internalising and externalising symptoms reported more negative perceptions and experiences of TRC. These findings highlight that creating an organisational social context that supports participatory approaches to assessing quality may provide invaluable insights into how services can be responsive to young people’s needs. Focusing on establishing high-quality relationships with staff, peers, family, and the community may be key to ensuring the long-term success of TRC.

For many children with significant behavioral health needs, the inability to obtain funding for adequate behavioral health care through private means results in parents “voluntarily” placing their child in the state’s child welfare system. This study investigated the association between states’ use of 1915(c) Medicaid waivers for children with behavioral health needs and state rates of voluntary foster care placements. This study used data from the Children’s Bureau Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), from 2010 to 2019. Multilevel, linear regression models with state-year fixed-effects assessed the relationship between states’ use of a 1915(c) waiver and their total new entry voluntary foster care placement rates for children with behavioral or developmental health care needs, controlling for a variety of state-level policy and demographic characteristics. States’ use of 1915(c) waivers is significantly associated with lower total voluntary placement rates, both in total (β= -1.51 [-2.82, -0.21]) and proportionally (β=-1.03 [-2.07, 0.02]). HCBS Medicaid waivers targeting children with complex behavioral health needs may reduce state rates of voluntary foster care placements.

Sexual well-being has long been an area of societal exclusion for disabled people. This exclusion includes control over bodies and relationships, access to representations and public spaces, and autonomy regarding identity choices, lifestyles, and experiences. Innovative and anti-ableist approaches are needed to support sexual well-being among young disabled people. This phenomenological study aimed to explore how social workers can support journeys to achieve sexual well-being from the perspectives of young disabled people. A total of 24 semi-structured interviews were carried out with individuals between the ages of 17 and 24 in Ontario, Canada, who identify themselves as disabled and have had prior interactions with a social worker. The participants had a range of disabilities, including developmental, physical, and mental health. The majority of participants reported having more than one disability. Participants reflected on practice approaches they appreciated when social workers supported them with areas related sexual well-being. More so, they envisioned and recommended various aspects to improve the care and support from social workers. Their suggestions for social workers included increased time and space to develop a therapeutic relationship, unlearning ableism and practicing sex-positivity, accounting for the diverse lived experiences of disabled people, increasing disability representation in social work, and providing and brokering accessible and holistic practice approaches services. This study highlights the importance of holistic and comprehensive social work practice, including sex-positive approaches and multidisciplinary care.

The social ecological model illustrates the complex relationships between a person and their environment. Reviews of the literature highlight a need to increase our understanding of how social processes affect youth across multiple environmental contexts. We use data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study to test social connections and observant adults in three contexts: neighborhood, school and family; as predictors of wellbeing, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a sample of youth. Our findings suggests that social connections in the neighborhood, school, and family are associated with positive youth outcomes. Observant adults in the school and family are associated with greater wellbeing and fewer externalizing symptoms whereas observant adults in the neighborhood was not associated with youth outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of developing spaces where youth feel included, and the positive impact that observant adults in proximal contexts can have on youth. Understanding how social processes operate across contexts can help practitioners create synergy across the most salient contexts that affect youth.

COVID-19 mandates required residential youth care providers to quickly adapt services while adhering to state and local mandates, impacting family visitation, stress, and potential disruption to reunification efforts. This mixed-methods study utilized data from a larger study of residential group homes in one southeastern state, utilizing the Quality Standards Assessment (QSA). First, utilizing open-ended responses on the QSA, a content analysis was used to explore residential care providers’ challenges and responses during COVID-19. Next, descriptive statistics and trend charts were utilized to explore quality differences in programs pre-, during, and post-COVID-19. The qualitative data reflected that COVID-19 presented significant challenges to residential care providers, including impacts on family and community engagement, programmatic procedures, education, and the residential care workforce. Responses to challenges included creating activities on-campus, conducting family visits virtually, shifting to on-campus schooling, and conducting re-licensing inspections virtually. The quantitative analysis showed mean quality rating trends dropping during the pandemic, with some quality ratings improving post-pandemic. Moreover, trends in mean incident reports increased during and post-pandemic years. Residential programs adapted to challenges, while some gaps remained. Issues with school and being isolated from family and community, as well as an increase in incident reports, were experienced among youth within residential care during COVID-19. Post-pandemic incident reports underscore the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 on residential group care.

In Spain, unaccompanied migrant minors receive care provision from the government. This article analyzes the experience of unaccompanied young migrants in the protection system of Catalonia (Spain) and their preparation for the transition to independent living. A survey with 90 unaccompanied migrant youths who were about to leave care was conducted. The results show that many of the participants were in non-specific transitional housing placements (67.7%), with scarce opportunities for developing basic independent living skills. Moreover, 29.4% of young people were not aware of the existence of an emancipation plan, and 10.3% felt that they had not received any preparation for independent living. Although only 24.4% had completed secondary education or higher, the majority were enrolled in some form of training (82.2%). Nevertheless, most of the young people had had some paid unskilled work experience (83.3%) in their countries of origin. Despite this, when interviewed, only 10% of the participants were working, and their prospects for emancipation were challenging. Their main concerns were their legal status (40.2%), finding a job (41.4%), and finding a place to live once they reached legal age (34.2%). Moreover, the youths’ social support networks were very precarious: 43.5% could count on only one person or no one at all when they needed material support, and their main source of support was educators. Implications for social work practice are discussed.