Prevention Archives - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Do Smartphones and Social Media Really Harm Teens’ Mental Health?
April 27, 2025 | NWI
Researchers are debating the strength of evidence connecting technology to surging rates of adolescent mental illness. But they have some clear advice for parents.
Strong Friendships Matter More Than Social Media Use
March 22, 2025 | NWI
Teens who report strong, high-quality friendships tend to have better mental health – an influence that appears nearly three times stronger than the link between social media use and mental health challenges, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Access to Medicaid and Healthcare Promotes Child Safety
March 22, 2025 | NWI
The central role of economic hardship as a driver of child welfare system involvement underscores the importance of addressing the concrete needs of families and promoting economic stability. In addition to income poverty, material hardship is a consistent predictor of child protective services contact, above and beyond family characteristics. Access to Medicaid and healthcare for children and their families, specifically, is associated with reduced risk for child welfare system involvement.
Preventing Infant and Toddler Maltreatment: A Toolkit
December 7, 2024 | NWI
This toolkit aims to facilitate collaboration among state-level policymakers, agency leaders, administrators, and other partners to pinpoint the connections between policies that promote family well-being and those that prevent child maltreatment. The resources in this toolkit are intended to inform and encourage dialogue, collaboration, and action among state leaders responsible for promoting positive outcomes among children, families, and communities in their states.
Research Links Children’s Physical Fitness and Mental Health
November 3, 2024 | NWI
This study tracked young people from childhood through to adolescence. Tests of physical fitness were compared to scores of kids’ thinking ability and emotional health. The findings, published recently in the journal Sports Medicine, showed that the more fit the kids were, the less stress and depression they reported as teenagers.
Sexual Cyberbullying Research Summary
September 21, 2024 | NWI
This research summary: 1. Defines various forms of sexual cyberbullying; 2. Reports what is known about the prevalence of these online behaviors; 3. Discusses the factors that increase the risk for or protect youth against sexual cyberbullying as well as the potential consequences of experiencing sexual cyberbullying; 4. Reviews what is known about preventing sexual cyberbullying; 5. Shares information about relevant laws and resources for youth-supporting professionals who want to help youth who may experience sexual cyberbullying.
Youth Sports Linked to Mental Health in Adulthood
July 28, 2024 | NWI
Adults who continuously played organized sports through their youth have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who never played or those who dropped out, a new study finds.
Spring 2024 Updates to the Family First Clearinghouse
June 16, 2024 | NWI
This Spring, the clearinghouse that greenlights foster care prevention services approved one new program that states can finance by drawing down federal funds aimed at lessening the use of foster care, rejected nine others, and announced 16 new programs up for consideration.
Physical Fitness Linked to Better Mental Health in Young People
May 13, 2024 | NWI
A new largescale study bolsters existing research suggesting that exercise can protect against anxiety, depression and attention challenges.
Supporting Positive Youth Development in Any Setting
March 9, 2024 | NWI
Decades of research have demonstrated that learning and development are fundamentally shaped by the quality of relationships and experiences in the settings where young people and adults interact. High-quality youth programs focus on the experiences that young people have in these settings. Adults can develop their practice to support learning and development more effectively by understanding the things they can do to create and support these high-quality experiences. This new report describes how.