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.

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyThere 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.
Read MorePosted in: Anti-Racism, Children, Youth and Families | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyTo 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.
Read MorePosted in: Blog, Children, Youth and Families, Prevention Science | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: The Community PsychologistThe 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: Prevention ScienceParent 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and FamiliesPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyData 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized GroupsPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyIndigenous 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Healthcare, Violence PreventionA 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Housing, Poverty and Socioeconomic StatusPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyInformal 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Mental HealthPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyStoryboarding 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Coalition Building, Mental HealthThis 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.
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