Children, Youth and Families Archives

Children, Youth and Families

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Children, Youth and Families

Children, youth, and families are members of many communities which may include neighborhoods, schools, and religious and civic groups. Community Psychologists study the interests of child and adolescents within these communities. Particular attention is paid to development in high risk contexts and especially the impact of urban poverty and community structures on child and family development.

Supports that White Mentors and BIPOC Mentees Need

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured Research
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
There is often a mismatch between volunteer mentors’ backgrounds and the diverse youth they serve. Anti-racism training and applying a social justice framework throughout the mentor-mentee relationship may be important to their success.

“At Risk” Framing of Black Youth Can Fuel Anti-Blackness in Research and Practice

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Children, Youth and Families | Tags: Featured Research
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
To counteract the effects of racism, community practitioners and researchers must take intentional steps to address common expectations for Black youth. Emphasizing Black youths and Black communities’ strengths and supporting their agency are essential.

Blog: We Said It’d be Meaningful Not Easy: Navigating the (Unexpected) Hardships of Qualitative Research

Posted in: Blog, Children, Youth and Families, Prevention Science | Tags: Featured Content
Published in: The Community Psychologist
The Hope Resilience Action Study was developed by Black and Latina women scholars to amplify the lived experiences of Afro Latina/Caribbean, Black, and Latina girls. The study required review by the institutional review board (IRB). The IRB reviewers shared concerns about inclusive definitions of gender and sexual orientation. This is what we did next.

Effective Community-Based Parent Training with Low-Income African American and Latino Parents

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured Research
Published in: Prevention Science
Parent training programs designed in partnership with parents can be effective for a culturally and economically diverse population of parents. Parents who attended at least 50% of the CPP intervention reported increased parenting self-efficacy, consistency in discipline, greater expression of warmth toward their children, and fewer child behavioral problems.

Using Existing Program Data to Assess the Health of Mentor/Mentee Relationships

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Data were collected from a large national sample of Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentors and mentees. Assessment data can provide a signal for those who may be at risk for terminating the program relationship early. Additional support can be offered in struggling dyads.

Indigenous Culture and Wellness: Healing and Wellbeing in the face of Colonization

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Indigenous Peoples are revitalizing our culture and way of life, improving our ability to self-heal. When accounting for an individual’s cultural efficacy in our study, cultural engagement was related to lower levels of anxiety and was significantly related to flourishing mental wellbeing.

Behavioral Health Screening Improves Provider Confidence to Holistically Serve Clients

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Healthcare, Violence Prevention
A domestic violence shelter successfully launched a behavioral health screening program for adults and children who have experienced IPV. Offering behavioral health screening for families who have survived IPV can help determine concerns and get them the services they need to continue their healing journey.

Photograph of two people sitting by a door

Importance of Social Supports to Resiliency for Youth

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Housing, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Informal supports are an important sources of resilience for low-income families who may be excluded from or are reluctant to engage with formal social systems. Social ties can help households withstand threats to their living arrangements and may be a powerful tool in disrupting pathways to behavior problems among teens.

Using Storyboarding to Train School Staff to Deliver Mental Health Interventions

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Mental Health
Published in: American Journal of Community Psychology
Storyboarding can creatively engage families to share their experiences with mental health problems. Community-engaged tools such as storyboarding can be used to increase awareness and reduce stigma of maternal depression among staff training to deliver family-focused mental health programs in schools.

Improving Mental Health in Rural Youth

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Coalition Building, Mental Health
This project and study incorporate community members and students into a decision-making process to guide community-level mental health interventions for youth. The CBPR method encourages agency and decision-making power. Community involvement may lead to greater community connectedness.