American journal of community psychology最新文献

Youth participatory action research (YPAR), a method in which young people are engaged as research partners and change agents, offers a powerful paradigm to promote empowerment and liberation. YPAR interventions have been applied in diverse settings to address various issues. Identifying barriers and facilitators to implementing YPAR programs may increase the scope and impact of this study. Implementation and dissemination science (IDS) utilizes structured evaluation frameworks to assess determinants of intervention uptake, utilization, and sustainability. IDS has long been utilized in community psychology; yet applications to YPAR are limited. In the present study, we use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to evaluate a community-based YPAR intervention. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected from multiple informants (e.g., participants, facilitators, and research team members) throughout the implementation period, we describe key barriers and facilitators related to programming. In addition, we present preliminary implementation outcomes (e.g., feasibility, acceptability) from our intervention. In describing these analyses, we center IDS as a key approach for rigorous evaluation of YPAR and similar community-based programs.

Coaching can increase elementary school teachers' implementation of evidence-based classroom practices, including equity-centered or culturally responsive practices. However, coaching by personnel external to schools can be expensive and difficult to sustain. Community science principles and social network research suggest the potential of influential peer leaders in schools to accelerate implementation. In the first phase of a multi-year project to develop and evaluate tools to help teachers use evidence-based, equity-focused positive behavioral support strategies in K-5 classrooms, we examine a school-partnered, network-informed process for identifying peer coaches, educator satisfaction with this process, and how feedback influenced process modifications. Educators in various roles (n = 85) from three elementary schools in two Central Ohio districts completed social network nomination and satisfaction surveys and interviews; research-practice partnership meeting records and field notes were analyzed. Findings suggest that a network-informed process to identify peer coaches results in distinct coaching teams and requires flexible application due to the unique, changing nature of school contexts (e.g., staff roles, turnover). We discuss the potential promise of harnessing teacher networks to identify peer coaches to fit the real-world contexts of elementary schools and meet the goal of accessible coaching and, ultimately, more equitable and supportive school environments for all students.

Youth advisory boards are ubiquitous in community-based research, yet there is limited description of their development or direct benefits to participants within international research contexts. This convergent mixed-method study describes and evaluates the design and implementation of a bilingual International Youth Advisory Board (IYAB) of 10 sexual and gender diverse youth (SGDY) aged 15-21 from Canada, the USA, and Mexico. During a 1-year term, youth participated in six virtual meetings, each incorporating an affirming group check in activity, bespoke youth-development workshop requested by participants (e.g., maintaining healthy relationships, managing conflict), and a feedback session to review draft study materials (e.g., recruitment flyers, surveys, and infographics). Participants completed brief quantitative measures at pre- and posttest and reported increased hope, self-esteem, sense of SGD community, self-advocacy skills, access to supportive adults, groupwork skills, and research competence. Qualitative data collected during a focus group in the final meeting were analyzed using inductive content analysis, producing five content categories of growth, diversity, action, connection, and reciprocity. Integrating these findings, three recommendations for implementing an IYAB are described: (1) support youth development and impact, (2) integrate diverse perspectives, and (3) design a transparent feedback loop. Implications for community psychology and community-based participatory research are discussed.

Black women are disproportionally impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), which influences women's mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant mental health strain on women experiencing IPV while also affecting their ability to seek mental health services. This study was conducted to qualitatively investigate the impact of IPV on urban Black women's mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis is part of an ongoing mixed-methods study in the Upper Midwest of the United States. We used purposive and snowball sampling to engage 28 women in in-depth individual interviews. Using content analysis, four themes were identified, including (1) anxious feelings, (2) feeling depressed, (3) posttraumatic stress disorder feelings, and (4) substance use. There is an urgent need to consider mental health interventions in times of national or global crises. Mental health interventions are especially of consideration for populations experiencing deep vulnerability, like women who experience IPV. This is more so the case in crises where there is a need to enact restrictive policies to contain public health epidemics or pandemics.

Lonnie R. Snowden's arrival to the UC Berkeley campus in the 1970s led not only to a stellar career that influenced multiple fields but also to the launching of hundreds of scholars who benefited from his wisdom, mentorship, and humanity. I recount my own experiences with Professor Snowden.

Considering instances of police brutality against people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and subsequent calls for changes to policing, it is important to understand how police and PEH interact. However, this literature in the US context has not been synthesized. This review aims to summarize: (a) the extent to which PEH have contact with police; and the (b) nature and (c) outcomes of these interactions. A PRISMA-aligned scoping review identified relevant scholarly articles on empirical studies published in a recent 20-year period in the United States. After screening, 26 relevant articles were analyzed utilizing thematic analysis. Rates of contact were disproportionately high among PEH. Contact was often the result of code enforcement, racial profiling, or notification by housed people, and consisted of harassment and abuse towards PEH. Finally, proximal (i.e., move-along orders, citation, arrest) and distal (i.e., perpetuating homelessness, lack of service provision, conflict, distrust and avoidance of police, and stress) outcomes emerged.

Language nutrition, a phrase depicting language exposure occurring during caregiver-child social interactions, holds immense significance in a child's oral language acquisition and early brain development. We report progress promoting language nutrition by the KC Brain Builders Community Coalition (KCBB). A longitudinal, multilevel design was used to evaluate the effects of the KCBB. An online logbook was used to track community actions, and 83 families (73% Latinx) completed surveys reporting the reach of the KCBB. Twelve community sectors and 21 organizations were involved in 329 actions targeting changes in practices, programs, and policies. Significant relationships were identified between parents' knowledge of the importance of talking to babies, the children's home language environment, and expressive language skills. An approach for promoting population-level changes in children's language nutrition is demonstrated. Initial findings indicated that language acquisition in young children is driven by a child's language environment, its structure and function. Implications are discussed.

The Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association, seeks to advance its commitment to social justice and the elimination of anti-Blackness. This presidential address focuses on how to envision the organization and field of community psychology well beyond 2023 and what it means to dream community psychology into the future.

Current times call for the promotion of caring communities through collective action. In caring communities, we feel connected, experience a sense of belonging, and deeply care about each other's health and well-being. Seymour Sarason's notion of social change as the creation of settings may have anticipated the art and practice of creating caring communities. Caring communities are thriving environments where members are there for one another, provide support when experiencing challenges, identify issues, take action on what matters to them, and celebrate achievements. In this paper, I call for creating caring communities through collective action. I discuss the concept of caring communities and propose a framework that introduces three key dimensions that characterize care-inducing settings: mutual aid, building on community strengths and assets, and opportunities for engagement and shared power. I discuss how together, these dimensions foster a deep sense of community and belonging, the adoption of caring practices and advocacy, and promote voice, influence, and meaningful social participation. This framework invites a reimagining of community as a relational and justice-oriented space where caring is not peripheral but central to how we organize, engage, and transform together. Examples of my research and action scholarly work illustrate the framework.