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The present short essay discusses the impact COVID-19 has had on college students. As universities work to build supportive learning environments during these unprecedented times, it is important for practitioners to consider how mental health and student identity impact student success. The framework proposes that empathy, university belonging, and an intersectional approach to academic support can contribute to a student's mental health, identity, and emotional well-being as they transition back to academic life.

The current study aims to fill the existing research gaps by investigating the role of teacher care in protecting African American adolescents in under-resourced neighborhoods from negative outcomes of adverse life events. The study included 638 adolescents from four under-resourced neighborhoods in Chicago's Southside who were assessed to determine the moderating role of caring teachers on the relationship between adverse adolescent experiences and risky sexual behaviors, substance use, bullying perpetration, and violent behaviors. Caring teachers had a significant moderating effect on the association between adverse experiences and both bullying perpetration and violent behaviors. Adolescents who perceived their teachers as caring showed lower tendencies towards bullying and violence, even if they had adverse experiences. These results highlight the crucial role of teacher care in supporting African American adolescents from under-resourced neighborhoods who have experienced adverse life events. It emphasizes educators' role in shaping our youth's future, especially those facing adversity and at a crossroads in their lives. Plain language summary: Despite adverse life events, adolescents who perceived their teachers as caring were less at risk of engaging in bullying and violence. Caring teachers are especially important for African American adolescents in under-resourced neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study explores variations among racially/ethnically diverse adolescents regarding parents' role in mitigating internalizing problems. Adolescents with a higher level of parental awareness, ease of talking to parents, and parental support were less likely to show internalizing problems. Parental awareness was negatively associated with internalizing problems among Whites and Hispanics. The ease of talking to parents was significant for all groups except for American Indians/Alaska Natives. These findings can inform culturally relevant treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined how adverse family events (i.e., adult family incarceration, adult family substance use, and adult family mental illness) were associated with adolescent bullying perpetration. More specifically, this study examined whether levels of future orientation mediated the link between adult family incarceration, substance use, and mental illness and bullying perpetration. A sample of 637 African American adolescents from the Southside of Chicago was used for this study. Adult family incarceration, substance use, and mental illness were all found to be positively associated with bullying perpetration. Also, adult family substance use and mental illness were positively associated with low levels of future orientation, which was significantly related to bullying perpetration. These findings demonstrate the importance of understanding how adverse family events are related to adolescent bullying. Implications for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]