News from the Field Related to Wraparound
Family Money Problems Impact Teen Mental Health
April 8, 2024
New research shows that teens are acutely affected by economic conditions in their daily lives and understand their families’ circumstances. Family finances can vary over time, and the research found that when teenagers said their family was experiencing hardship, they were more likely to be depressed and to get in trouble at school.
Supporting Positive Youth Development in Any Setting
March 9, 2024
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.
Georgia Will Pay for Foster Care Rather Than Provide Housing Assistance
March 8, 2024
In more than 700 cases over five years, Georgia reported inadequate housing as the sole reason for taking a child into foster care, a recent analysis found. Advocates say it would be cheaper to help families get housing.
Residential Addiction Treatment for Adolescents Is Scarce and Expensive
March 8, 2024
Access to residential addiction treatment centers caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old in the United States is limited and costly, according to a new study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found that only about half of the residential addiction treatment facilities that they contacted had a bed immediately available. On average, the quoted cost of a month’s stay at a residential addiction treatment facility was over $26,000.
New Research Article on Peer Support for Youth and Young Adults
February 4, 2024
This free, full-text article on the Pathways website describes a research study focused on peer support for young people experiencing serious mental health conditions. The article details a new theory that shows how and why one-on-one peer support produces positive outcomes for young people receiving peer support. The article also outlines key skills that peer support specialists use to enhance the likelihood of positive outcomes.
A Trust Fund for Every Baby: What Is the Current Status of “Baby Bonds”?
February 3, 2024
Baby bonds are universal, publicly funded child trust accounts. When recipients reach adulthood, they can use the funds for wealth-building activities such as purchasing a home, investing in education, or starting a small business. Baby bonds are intended to decrease wealth inequities. This brief revisits the policy as originally proposed, provides a legislative update, and outlines six design features that would help baby bonds deliver on the promise of reducing racial wealth inequities.
Recognizing and Responding to Child Anxiety
February 3, 2024
Anxiety and depression among young people has increased since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling according to some estimates. But it’s not always easy to distinguish potentially problematic anxiety from normal, everyday worries. This brief discusses how to know when anxiety becomes a serious concern, and how to respond.
Supporting Youth Mental Health With Arts-Based Strategies
February 3, 2024
This article discusses the global youth mental health crisis and notes major gaps in the knowledge and resources needed to address it. It goes on to describe the potential for arts- and culture-based strategies to help meet this challenge, review the mounting evidence regarding art’s ability to support mental health, and call for action to undertake critical research and its translation into accessible community practices.
Strong Social Networks Key for Young People’s Mental Health
February 3, 2024
New research demonstrates that having strong social networks, or a set of individuals a person is connected to, can make people more resilient to symptoms of anxiety and depression, particularly among young adults whose social lives and relationships were disrupted by COVID-19.
Youth Leadership in Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
January 8, 2024
Members of Mental Health America’s Young Leaders Council have co-authored a report focusing on their ideas for improving young adult wellbeing nationwide. The report highlights the young leaders’ programs and advocacy, with the goal of expanding and replicating youth-led solutions to the mental health crisis.