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School engagement is a luxury not often afforded to children involved in the child welfare system. Current definitions of school engagement largely center around three micro-level foci: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive. These definitions rely heavily on the student and their participation in school in prescribed ways that can exclude system-involved youth, leaving little room to consider how life experiences and developmental trajectories interface with how students show up in educational spaces. This perspective of school engagement also lacks socio-ecological considerations that may impact children in the child welfare system, such as frequent school moves, trauma reactions, systemic racism, and insufficient access to structural resources. Each of these influences may affect how a child engages with school and how a school engages with children and families. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the conceptual misalignments of the current approaches to measuring school engagement for youth involved in the child-welfare system and its subsequent implications for practice and research. We present recommendations that may lead to more inclusive and equitable measures of this important "determinant of life success." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School engagement has been identified as a protective factor, mitigating the effects of trauma, and promoting adaptive functioning. However, the ways in which school engagement is measured and understood for youth involved with the child welfare system is limited. This structured review of the literature aims to explore the measurement tools used to assess school engagement for youth involved with the child welfare system with the purpose of identifying the measures most commonly used with this youth population, and determining if there are measures specific to this unique child population. Fourteen databases were searched to identify articles published through March 2020. Articles were included if they, (a) were conducted in the United States, (b) measured school engagement through quantitative methods, (c) the sample was primarily youth involved with the child welfare system. After screening the review yielded 29 articles. All but one of the studies utilized scales that were not created for child welfare populations. The one study that did create a scale for this youth population, utilized scale items from a measure not created for child welfare youth. Results highlight a need to expand the measurement of school engagement to focus specifically on the unique experiences of this youth population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure threatens healthy child development by compromising outcomes across a range of domains including academic functioning. However, research suggests variability in the strength and nature of the association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, and the extent to which it varies by different academic outcomes and co-occurring risk factors (e.g., child maltreatment). This systematic review seeks to clarify the relation between IPV exposure and academic functioning by distilling overall outcome trends and critically assessing the existing literature's strengths and limitations. Seven databases were searched to identify relevant articles published through August 2020. Studies were included if (a) at least 80% of the sample were from birth to 18 years of age; (b) valid tools were used to measure outcome variables, and (c) outcomes of children exposed to IPV were compared with children who experienced other forms of violence and/or no violence exposure. After screening, the review yielded 13 articles examining academic functioning. The majority (76.9%, n = 10) of the studies found a negative association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, but results varied among subdomains of academic functioning (subjective performance, objective performance, and conduct). Findings from several studies indicate that the combined experience of IPV exposure and maltreatment negatively affects academic functioning. Results highlight the need for: 1) additional research examining IPV exposure and academic functioning 2) early detection of IPV-exposed children, and 3) the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to support academic functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Psychosocial factors and life stressors have an impact on long-term health effects on mothers and their children. Recent studies examining maternal mental health have predominantly focused on identifying maternal experiences with depression; however, there has been minimal research investigating maternal experiences with psychosocial risk factors and its relationship with child well-being. Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. The study sample includes 2396 adolescents and their biological mothers. Adolescents were between the ages of 14 and 19. We examined primary outcomes regarding mental health (depression and anxiety), life-satisfaction, and substance usage (alcohol and drugs). Results: The association between maternal psychosocial factors an adolescent depression was significant, F(26) = 5.29, p <.01. Mothers educational attainment and poverty level significantly predicted adolescent depression; with completion of some college (B = −0.411, p 0.025), a college degree (B = −0.540, p = 0.018), and living at the 300% poverty level (B = −0.725, p = 0.002) predicting lower levels of adolescent depression. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that there was a positive relationship between maternal mental health and adolescent mental health. Further, this study demonstrated that maternal mental health and social determinants of health are predictors of adolescent mental health and social functioning, thus indicating an inextricable connection to child well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act scale (DFSCA) has been widely used to measure school engagement in studies utilizing the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) data. Recent analyses using NSCAW-I suggest that the best use of the DFSCA scale is a three-factor structure measuring emotional, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral engagement. However, this three-factor structure presented concerns with the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct, warranting further analyses. This study aimed to test the three-factor structure in separate samples, and to test an alternative model that excluded the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct. Using NSCAW-II data, we performed a series of confirmatory factor analyses, to explore the fit of the hypothesized and alternative models across three random samples. We extracted three random samples from the NSCAW-II data, without replication. Each sub-sample represented 20 % of the larger NSCAW-II sample. The samples included children between the ages of 6 and 15 who were involved with the child welfare system due to a maltreatment report. Results indicated that both the three-factor structure that includes the cognitive-behavioral engagement construct, and the two-factor structure that excludes the factor fit the data well. Implications for using these factor structures in future research is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the study was to investigate the development of psychobehavioral symptoms (internalizing, externalizing, and posttraumatic stress [PTS]) of child welfare–involved adolescents over a 3-year period and to identify predictors of the trajectories. Using three waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II), latent growth curve modeling was conducted on a sample of 350 adolescents who were between 11 and 13 years of age at baseline. Findings indicated that adolescents' internalizing symptoms decreased over time, whereas externalizing symptoms remained stable over time. PTS symptoms decreased over time in girls, but not boys. Physical abuse predicted higher levels of externalizing behaviors and sexual abuse predicted a slower decrease in PTS symptoms. Greater child prosocial skills and higher quality of caregiver–child relationship were associated with lower initial levels of externalizing symptoms. In addition, a higher quality caregiver–child relationship and greater satisfaction with peer relationships were associated with lower initial levels of internalizing and PTS symptoms. Findings suggest that intervention strategies should consider gender, maltreatment type, and interpersonal and social skills to effectively prevent the development of psychobehavioral symptoms among child welfare–involved youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) have consistently used the scale developed from the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA) to examine school engagement. Although the DFSCA is widely used, no study has examined the factor structure to determine if the scale is best used as a summative score of all items or as a three-factor variable distinguishing behavioral, emotional, and cognitive school engagement. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the hypothesized factor structure of the DFSCA scale by testing models previously supported in the literature. Using NSCAW-I data, we performed confirmatory factor analysis in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. The study sample included 2429 children and adolescents who were between 6 and 15 years of age who had recently been investigated by child protective services due to a maltreatment report. Results indicated that school engagement is a multidimensional concept measuring behavioral, emotional, and cognitive-behavioral dimensions. This model has not been used in studies using NSCAW data, to date. These findings highlight the importance of exploring and understanding the factor structure of instruments before using an instrument in studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Child Welfare Agencies (PCWAs) may use volunteers in a number of capacities to support improved youth outcomes while addressing resource shortages and promoting positive community relationships. However, no prior research has examined volunteer use in various capacities by PCWAs and the potential outcomes of this use. This qualitative study explores how PCWAs in one state utilize volunteers and the perceived effects of this volunteer use. Qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from PCWAs in twelve metropolitan counties. Using grounded theory analysis, interview data were thematically coded and organized into a conceptual model depicting the potential effects of volunteer use on agency and child outcomes. Most ( n  = 9) agencies used volunteers, but only four used volunteers in roles where they had direct contact with youth (e.g., as mentors). Respondents described volunteer programs as promoting outcomes in three major areas: community engagement, agency access to supports and resources, and positive youth development. Moreover, respondents described potential connections among these outcome areas, with community engagement leading to more supports and resources, which in turn, promoted positive youth development. Findings suggest that the use of volunteers may help PCWAs to achieve their goals of advancing child permanency, safety, and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaps in academic achievement between minority and White students are well documented in the literature. Research demonstrates that systemic inequities related to race are often the source of the achievement gap. Some reports, however, suggest that the achievement gap is not only due to racial differences, but rather the intersection of race and gender. While these reports use an intersectional approach to examine differences in educational attainment within the general population, this approach has not been tested among maltreated youth involved with the child welfare system. Using an intersectional framework, this study investigated whether race and gender alone or the intersection of race and gender predicted the educational attainment of 429 maltreated youth involved with the U.S. child welfare system. Secondary data analysis was conducted using two waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-I). After holding household poverty, maltreatment type and severity, and caregiver education constant, race and gender alone did not predict the likelihood of youth completing their education. However, when analyzing educational attainment based on the intersection of race and gender, Black males were significantly less likely to complete their education than White males, White females, and Hispanic females. These results highlight the prevalence of educational gaps for Black males who are victims of maltreatment and illustrates the importance of using an intersectional lens in maltreatment research and practice to identify such vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of research have consistently shown a link between foster care and low rates of high school completion. Despite the overwhelming knowledge surrounding this association, it remains unclear whether the low rates of high school completion are due to placement in foster care or the maltreatment and other contextual factors that foster care youth have experienced. This study examined the extent to which (a) maltreatment type and (b) foster care placement were associated with the educational attainment of 337 maltreated adolescents. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using two waves of data and the ACR dataset of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). After controlling for academic risk factors related to the adolescents (age, race, and gender), their family (household poverty and parental education), and their environment (community environment), neither maltreatment type nor foster care placement status were associated with subsequent high school completion. Overall, only 58% of the maltreated adolescents reported completing their education. That is about 15% less than the national average at the time data were collected for this study. Results, overall, suggest a need for educational supports and interventions for youth who experience maltreatment during their adolescent years, regardless of maltreatment type and foster care placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how a range of physical punishment measures, ranging from mild corporal punishment to physical abuse, are associated with cognitive performance, school engagement, and peer isolation over a 3- year span among 658 children initially observed between the ages of 8 and 14. Physical punishment was captured in three groups: mild corporal punishment, harsh corporal punishment, and physical abuse, and both caregiver- and child-reported punishment measures were considered. After accounting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, only Ninitial exposure to physical abuse was significantly associated with declines in cognitive performance. However, all forms of physical punishment were associated with declines in school engagement, and harsh corporal punishment was associated with increased peer isolation. Our findings were relatively consistent regardless of whether physical punishment was reported by the child or caregiver. Overall, our findings suggest that the prevention of physical abuse may enhance children's cognitive performance, but that alone may not be sufficient to ensure children are engaged and well-adjusted in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive alcohol use and problems during college is a major public health concern, and there are health disparities in patterns of drinking and alcohol-related illnesses based on ethnicity and race. Given the prevalence and disparities in excessive alcohol use and problems and associated negative impacts, it is important to examine potential protective factors such as dimensions of ethnic-racial identity (ERI). Thus, the current study examined how multiple dimensions of ERI were associated with alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms, and how these relations varied by individuals' ethnic-racial group among 1850 diverse emerging adults (M = 18.46, SD =.38). Findings indicated that there were significant differences by race/ethnicity. ERI affirmation was negatively associated with AUD symptoms for Asian individuals and African American individuals, while ERI exploration was positively associated with AUD symptoms among African American individuals. ERI resolution was negatively associated with alcohol use for Latinx individuals and positively associated with alcohol use for Multiracial individuals. Among White individuals, ERI exploration was negatively associated with alcohol use and ERI affirmation was negatively associated with AUD symptoms. Overall, the current study builds on our understanding of nuanced ways in which ethnic-racial identity impacts alcohol problems among emerging adults and highlights areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of the current study was to examine the longitudinal effects of ongoing physical abuse on the co-development of externalizing behavior problems and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms among child welfare-involved adolescents. Using three waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, we performed unconditional and conditional parallel process latent growth curve modeling in a structural equation modeling framework. The study sample included 491 adolescents who were between 11 and 13 years of age at baseline. Higher levels of initial PTS symptoms were associated with higher levels of externalizing behavior problems, but the rate of change in PTS symptoms were not significantly associated with the rate of change in externalizing behavior problems over time. Although physical abuse was concurrently associated with both externalizing behavior problems and PTS symptoms at all assessment points, there were no lagged effects. Additionally, we found that physical abuse indirectly affects subsequent development of externalizing behavior problems and PTS symptoms through ongoing physical abuse. Findings highlight the comorbidity of externalizing behaviors and PTS symptoms among early adolescents in the child welfare system, underlining the importance of screening for and addressing these problems simultaneously. Findings also point to the need for continued assessment of and protection from ongoing physical abuse during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both in the United States and across the world, intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread social problem. It often occurs in households with children, and IPV exposure during childhood is associated with negative sequelae across developmental domains. This systematic review synthesizes the literature on the effects of IPV exposure on social-emotional competence (i.e., social competence, empathy, emotion regulation) from infancy through late adolescence. Seven bibliographic software databases were searched for relevant citations up to August 2020, and a total of 15,354 citations were identified after deduplication. Following a screening process by two research assistants, 381 citations were included in a broader Evidence and Gap Map. Data extraction was completed for included citations, and all were coded into child outcome categories and subcategories. Twenty-six studies examined social-emotional competence. Across studies examining social competence, a majority found that IPV-exposed children demonstrated lower levels of social competence and emotional regulation than a comparison group. Limited evidence was found to indicate that IPV-exposed children also exhibited fewer empathic skills compared with non-exposed peers. Social-emotional competence was additionally identified to significantly mediate and/or moderate the association between IPV exposure and other outcomes (e.g., aggressive behaviors, psychological distress), underscoring that social-emotional competence may be a malleable factor that could promote resilience among children exposed to IPV. These findings highlight the need to further explore the associations between social-emotional competence and other child adjustment outcomes, and develop and implement programming to foster social-emotional competence among IPV-exposed children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines distinguishing characteristics of father-perpetrated maltreatment and disparities in Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation outcomes based on perpetrator gender and race. A sample of children (N = 2,017) reported to CPS for maltreatment attributed to their mother and/or father was drawn from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II). Measures included perpetrator(s) relationship to the child (mother alone, father alone, mother and father) and race (Black, White, Other), caseworker-reported maltreatment characteristics and co-occurring risk factors, and CPS investigation outcomes (services, substantiation, out-of-home placement, criminal investigation, and criminal charges). Bivariate analyses revealed no clear pattern of higher risk for maltreatment involving fathers. In regression, father-alone perpetration predicted less out-of-home placement but more criminal investigations and charges. A significant interaction indicated the greatest risk for criminal charges when a Black father co-perpetrated maltreatment with mother. Findings imply needs for anti-bias training, specialized services for fathers, and coordinated diversion between child welfare and criminal justice systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study compared a novel self-management (TargetEd MAnageMent Intervention [TEAM]) versus treatment as usual (TAU) to reduce stroke risk in African American (AA) men.Design: Six-month prospective randomized controlled trial with outcomes evaluated at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.Setting: Academic health center.Participants: Thirty-eight (age < 65) AA men who had a stroke or transient ischemic attack and a Barthel index score of >60 were randomly assigned to TEAM (n = 19) or TAU (n = 19).Intervention: Self-management training, delivered in 1 individual and 4 group sessions (over 3 months).Measures: Blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipids, medication adherence, weight, and standardized measures of health behaviors (diet, exercise, smoking, substances), depression, and quality of life. Qualitative assessments evaluated the perspectives of TEAM participants.Analysis: T tests for paired differences and nonparametric tests. Thematic content qualitative analysis.Results: Mean age was 52.1 (standard deviation [SD] = 7.4) and mean body mass index was 31.4 (SD = 7.4). Compared to TAU, TEAM participants had significantly lower mean systolic blood pressure by 24 weeks, and there was also improvement in HbA1c and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P = .03). Other biomarker and health behaviors were similar between groups. Qualitative results suggested improved awareness of risk factors as well as positive effects of group support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined (a) the extent of heterogeneity in the patterns of developmental trajectories of language development and academic functioning in children who have experienced maltreatment, (b) how maltreatment type (i.e., neglect or physical abuse) and timing of abuse explained variation in developmental trajectories, and (c) the extent to which individual protective factors (i.e., preschool attendance, prosocial skills), relationship protective factors (i.e., parental warmth, absence of past-year depressive episode, cognitive/verbal responsiveness) and community protective factors (i.e., neighborhood safety) promoted the development of resilient language/academic functioning trajectories. Longitudinal data analyses were conducted using cohort sequential Growth Mixture Model (CS-GMM) with a United States national representative sample of children reported to Child Protective Services (n = 1,776). Five distinct developmental trajectories from birth to age 10 were identified including two resilient groups. Children who were neglected during infancy/toddlerhood or physically abused during preschool age were more likely to be in the poorer language/academic functioning groups (decreasing/recovery/decreasing and high decreasing) than the resilient high stable group. Child prosocial skills, caregiver warmth, and caregiver cognitive stimulation significantly predicted membership in the two resilient academic functioning groups (low increasing and high stable), after controlling for demographics and child physical abuse and neglect. Results suggest that it is possible for a maltreated child to successfully achieve competent academic functioning, despite the early adversity, and identifies three possible avenues of intervention points. This study also makes a significant contribution to the field of child development research through the novel use of CS-GMM, which has implications for future longitudinal data collection methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual victimization is associated with worse mental health outcomes among LGBQ + adolescents and adults; however, limited work has focused on these relations among emerging adults in college and has not tested mechanisms that might explain these associations. Thus, the current study tested the associations between sexual victimization and mental health outcomes (i.e., anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms) and examined social support and trauma-related drinking as mediators of these associations among diverse LGBQ + college student emerging adults. Additionally, we tested whether findings varied among Students of Color and White Students. Participants included 179 LGBQ + college students (M = 19.48, SD = 0.74) who completed measures of sexual victimization, social support, trauma-related drinking, and mental health. Trauma-related drinking was a significant mediator, such that sexual victimization was associated with greater trauma-related drinking and, in turn, greater anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Although social support was not a significant mediator, social support was associated with less anxiety symptoms and less depressive symptoms. Findings did not vary by ethnicity/race. Findings have research and intervention implications by highlighting the ways in which sexual victimization, social support, and trauma-related drinking affect LGBQ + college students’ mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol use among young adults is highly prevalent. Individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment are particularly vulnerable to alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Few studies have examined family protective factors, such as parental warmth, that may mitigate the effects of childhood maltreatment on alcohol-related problems. The current study seeks to examine the extent to which parental warmth reduces the effect of childhood exposure to maltreatment on alcohol-related problems in young adulthood. Participants were young adults (N = 337; mean age = 21.7), who were recruited from an urban community and completed in-person interviews assessing childhood maltreatment, parental warmth, and alcohol-related problems. Multiple hierarchical linear regression models were used to examine whether maternal and paternal warmth reduced the impact of childhood exposure to maltreatment on alcohol-related problems in young adulthood. Common risk factors for alcohol-related problems, including psychological symptoms and peer and parental alcohol use, were also entered into the models. We found a significant moderating effect of paternal warmth on the associations between childhood emotional abuse and alcohol-related problems (β= -0.29, p <.05). Specifically, the association between emotional abuse and alcohol-related problems was weaker among individuals with higher levels of paternal warmth. Moderating effects of maternal warmth on the maltreatment-problematic alcohol use relation were not supported. The results of this research suggest that parental warmth may not only relate to fewer alcohol-related problems among offspring, but may also modify the associations between childhood emotional abuse and alcohol-related problems during young adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]