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: 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 Families | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished 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 Groups | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished 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 Prevention | Tags: Featured ResearchA 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 Status | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished 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 Health | Tags: Featured ContentPublished 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 Health | Tags: Featured ContentThis 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.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families, Education | Tags: Global Journal of Community Psychology PracticeCommunity digital storytelling is a form of action research that can effectively communicate different perspectives. We created a model for interventions that combine digital storytelling, narrative inquiry, and facilitated peer-to-peer work to create a space for collective empowerment.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families | Tags: Featured ResearchPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyFostering Healthy Futures (FHF) is one of very few evidence-based youth mentoring interventions for youth in foster care. FHF has positive effects on youth in foster care and improves the mental health of children with varied relational histories.
Read MorePosted in: Children, Youth and Families | Tags: Featured ContentPublished in: American Journal of Community PsychologyThe individual effort of youth mentors during the COVID-19 pandemic showed commitment and intentionality. Mentoring programs can develop emergency plans (like moving to digital operations) to prepare for unexpected events with the intention of ensuring continuous support for mentees.
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