News from the Field Related to Wraparound
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.
Study on Behavioral Health Integration in Pediatric Primary Care
July 10, 2019
A study published in the July 2019 issue of Pediatrics tested an integrated behavioral health model in a large, primary pediatric care network in the Boston, MA area for five years. The findings suggest that integrating behavioral health (BH) in the pediatric setting can increase access to quality BH services without adding substantial costs.
How Coaching Boosts Family Engagement
June 11, 2019
This brief from the Global Family Research Project describes some of the results of the Family and Community Technical Assistance (FACE-TA) project’s TA to Early Head Start sites in California. The brief includes short case studies highlighting the changes implemented as a result of the TA, such as including families in the planning of family engagement activities.
More Research on Pervasive Effects of Childhood Trauma
June 6, 2019
A research study published recently provided further evidence of the long-term negative impact caused by growing up in poverty and experiencing traumatic events as a child. The study’s senior author Ruben C. Gur, Ph.D., a professor of Psychiatry, Radiology, and Neurology, and director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory, said “Parents and educators should become more aware of the special needs of children who are exposed to either adversity. Additionally, mental health professionals should be particularly on notice that traumatic events are associated not only with PTSD, but with elevations across domains including mood, anxiety, and psychosis.”
Study Finds Suicide Rate for Girls Increasing Faster than for Boys
June 6, 2019
A recent NPR story reported on the results of a study analyzing changes in suicide rate trends. Based on analysis of more than 85,000 youth suicides between 1975 and 2016, researchers found a major shift occurred after 2007.The “increase was highest for girls ages 10 to 14, rising by nearly 13% since 2007. While for boys of the same age, it rose by 7%.”
In the commentary by Joan Luby and Sarah Kertz that accompanied the journal article, the authors conclude: “Increasing rates of suicidality may be the ‘canary in the coal mine’ signaling important health concerns arising from the increased and pervasive use of social media affecting child and adolescent development. Such a signal in general health would raise great alarm and calls to action, and it must not go unheeded in mental health.”
New Spanish Language Resource for Parents from NIMH
May 14, 2019
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a Spanish version of their brochure, “Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage?”
This resource is designed to help families and caregivers identify symptoms, treatment options and resources to help their children.
