News from the Field Related to Wraparound
Research: Bullying Perpetration Associated with Internalizing Problems
December 13, 2019
A new study at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health published recently online in the Journal of Public Health found that youths who reported being perpetrators of bullying were more likely to develop mental health problems compared to those who did not report being perpetrators of bullying.
The senior author, Silvia Martins, MD, PhD, is quoted, “Our findings provide an important extension to previous literature, and indicate that bullying behaviors prevention and intervention strategies among youth should consider how to take into account and handle negative feelings and mental health problems.”
Child Trends Brief: Applying the Research and Evaluation Provisions of the Family First Prevention Services Act
November 19, 2019
Child Trends has published a brief with information for state agencies, legislators, and researchers on the Family First Act. The brief outlines research and evaluation requirements for prevention and kinship services currently eligible for federal reimbursement under the Family First Act.
Study: 1 in 5 Children Live in Counties without Child Psychiatrist
November 19, 2019
Recent research published in Pediatrics tracked the number of child psychiatrists in the US over the past decade and how they are distributed by state and county. While the overall number of child psychiatrists increased by 21.3%, and the ratio of child psychiatrists per 100,000 children increased from 8.01 to 9.75. However, despite these increases, approximately 70% percent of US counties have no child psychiatrists, due to the concentration of child psychiatrists in high-income, urban areas.
2019 Children’s Mental Health Report: Social Media, Gaming and Mental Health
October 16, 2019
The Child Mind Institute’s “2019 Children’s Mental Health Report: Social Media, Gaming and Mental Health” is intended to help parents, professionals and policymakers better understand the online lives of children and adolescents. The report includes information on the positive and negative mental health effects of online activities and provides guidelines for social media and internet use.
Family Instability and Children’s Social Development
September 20, 2019
This recent research brief from Child Trends looks at family instability – changes in parents’ situations such as marriage, divorce, and romantic partners moving in or out of the home – and its potentially negative influence on children’s and adolescents’ functioning and behavior.
Research: Team-Based Activities Beneficial for Children’s Mental Health
August 28, 2019
A recent study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence looked at the benefits of different kinds of extracurricular activities on the mental health of children in grades 4 and 7. The results indicate that team-based activities had more benefits than individual activities. The researchers attribute the difference to a stronger sense of peer belonging.
Research: How to Protect Babies from Trauma Before it Happens
August 21, 2019
This article discusses the work of The JPB Research Network on Toxic Stress, a multi-university group of researchers working to develop measures to identify children’s relative vulnerability to stress, in hopes of allowing for earlier intervention and prevention.
Study: Possible Genetic Link between Children’s Language and Mental Health
August 21, 2019
A recent study led by the University of York found a possible genetic link between children with language disorders and poor mental health. The researchers analyzed genetic data from more than 5,000 children, clinical assessments on children’s language ability, and questionnaire responses from parents. The lead researcher, Umar Toseeb, said, “If our findings are confirmed in future work, it could mean that, rather than wait for children with developmental language disorder to show symptoms of poor mental health before intervening, mental health support is put in place as soon as language difficulties become apparent, as a preventative measure.”
Lessons Learned When Building the Evidence for a Child Welfare Practice Model
August 21, 2019
Child Trends recently issued this brief for the child welfare field to highlight lessons learned from the evaluation of Success Coach, a post-reunification program developed by Catawba County, North Carolina. The authors also discuss the implications for other jurisdictions who may want to implement and evaluate similar post-reunification services. According to the authors, the new Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) “offers an opportunity for agency leaders and practitioners to begin to build evidence of success.”
Research on New Approach to Reduce Stress in Parents and Children
July 10, 2019
Two recent studies led by Philip Fisher at the University of Oregon Center for Translational Neuroscience focus on combining neuroscience, psychology and biology to address childhood mental health. One study used video-coaching to help caregivers recognize child-supportive behavior and the other looks at the relationship between oxidative stress and psychological disorders in children.