Suicide Attempts from Adolescence into Young Adulthood: A System Dynamics Perspective for Intervention and Prevention

Though the reduction of suicide-related deaths has been a national priority for over a decade (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) and over $22 million per year (National Institutes of Health, 2015) have been invested to prevent suicide, rates of suicide have not declined (CDC, 2012). In fact, for some groups of adolescents, these rates seem to be on the ride (Wasserman, Cheng, & Jiang, 2005). The ineffectiveness in reducing deaths by suicide despite increased funding and coordinated efforts suggests the need for a new perspective on examining why and how adolescents begin to desire and attempt suicide and how to stop new attempts from occurring. Using an individual-level system dynamics model (Forrester, 1994; Sterman, 2000), this study answers the following research questions: 1. Is there a feedback relationship governing the experience of suicide attempts for adolescents into adulthood? 2. What types of interventions can be used to decrease suicidality across the lifespan? The goal of this study was to understand whether Thomas Joiners interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS) (Joiner, 2005; Van Orden et al., 2010), when mathematically defined as a system dynamics model, could accurately simulate and predict suicide attempts across time. The model was specified with nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey for Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health) and tested for applicability in understanding differences in suicide attempts by gender and racial subgroups. Modifications to the structure of the model were made leading to a modified theory, the developmental systems model of the interpersonal theory of suicide. Results from experiments on the developmental systems model of IPTS suggest that reducing the duration of depression or increasing the time it takes to build capability to attempt suicide for adolescents can minimize attempts across adolescence and adulthood. Implications for research, policy, and practice are outlined, with an emphasis on future directions for suicide research

Research Report: Assessing the Impacts of Service Learning on Middle School Students: Wyman\u27s Teen Outreach Program®

Research Report: Assessing the Impacts of Service Learning on Middle School Students: Wyman\u27s Teen Outreach Program

Motivating Students Through Classroom-Based Service Learning: Toward Adoption and Impact

Motivating Students Through Classroom-Based Service Learning: Toward Adoption and Impac

Social and Emotional Learning and Social Work in Middle School: A Case Study in Community Partnership

Social and emotional learning is increasingly being recognized for its role in urban school reform despite current school improvement efforts focused on academic outcomes. This paper presents a case study in community partnership between a middle school, a community-based organization, and a research university, to implement a social and emotional program in seventh grade social studies. Highlighted is the importance of trust and communication among all partners—including administrators, researchers, front-line staff, teachers, and students. It also suggests a framework to expand school partnerships to include schools of social work, especially when the focus is on social and emotional learning

System Dynamics of Cognitive Vulnerabilities and Family Support Among Latina Children and Adolescents

The paper describes an approach to developing a data-driven development of a feedback theory of cognitive vulnerabilities and family support focused on understanding the dynamics experienced among Latina children, adolescents, and families. Family support is understood to be a response to avoidant and maladaptive behaviors that may be characteristic of cognitive vulnerabilities commonly associated depression and suicidal ideation. A formal feedback theory is developed, appraised, and analyzed using a combination of secondary analysis of qualitative interviews (N = 30) and quantitative analysis using system dynamics modeling and simulation. Implications for prevention practice, treatment, and future research are discussed

Mortality Risk of Hypnotics: Strengths and Limits of Evidence

Sleeping pills, more formally defined as hypnotics, are sedatives used to induce and maintain sleep. In a review of publications for the past 30 years, descriptive epidemiologic studies were identified that examined the mortality risk of hypnotics and related sedative-anxiolytics. Of the 34 studies estimating risk ratios, odds ratios, or hazard ratios, excess mortality associated with hypnotics was significant (p < 0.05) in 24 studies including all 14 of the largest, contrasted with no studies at all suggesting that hypnotics ever prolong life. The studies had many limitations: possibly tending to overestimate risk, such as possible confounding by indication with other risk factors; confusing hypnotics with drugs having other indications; possible genetic confounders; and too much heterogeneity of studies for meta-analyses. There were balancing limitations possibly tending towards underestimates of risk such as limited power, excessive follow-up intervals with possible follow-up mixing of participants taking hypnotics with controls, missing dosage data for most studies, and over-adjustment of confounders. Epidemiologic association in itself is not adequate proof of causality, but there is proof that hypnotics cause death in overdoses; there is thorough understanding of how hypnotics euthanize animals and execute humans; and there is proof that hypnotics cause potentially lethal morbidities such as depression, infection, poor driving, suppressed respiration, and possibly cancer. Combining these proofs with consistent evidence of association, the great weight of evidence is that hypnotics cause huge risks of decreasing a patient's duration of survival

PDZ domains and their binding partners: structure, specificity, and modification

PDZ domains are abundant protein interaction modules that often recognize short amino acid motifs at the C-termini of target proteins. They regulate multiple biological processes such as transport, ion channel signaling, and other signal transduction systems. This review discusses the structural characterization of PDZ domains and the use of recently emerging technologies such as proteomic arrays and peptide libraries to study the binding properties of PDZ-mediated interactions. Regulatory mechanisms responsible for PDZ-mediated interactions, such as phosphorylation in the PDZ ligands or PDZ domains, are also discussed. A better understanding of PDZ protein-protein interaction networks and regulatory mechanisms will improve our knowledge of many cellular and biological processes

Sharing the Classroom: A Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers and Social Workers

Teacher professional development associated with classroom-management strategies has proved to be particularly challenging in high-poverty schools working to emphasize the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL). Participation in weekly classroom-based, positive youth development (PYD) program sessions, facilitated by social workers, contributes to the repertoire of students’ social and emotional skills. Surprisingly, a closer examination of qualitative results from a mixed-methods longitudinal study suggests that when teachers and social workers share the classroom during the PYD program implementation, there is a positive shift in adults’ perceptions of students. As teachers and social workers observed each other working with students, their repertoire of SEL-associated classroom-management strategies expanded and positively overflowed into the school culture. This case study suggests a theoretical shift to consider interdisciplinary professional development that shares power and incorporates situational peer mentoring for teachers and social workers. Five implementation strategies are identified for optimizing outcomes

The Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions Delivered by Teachers in Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153309/1/2017FranklinZhangetalCCFPR.pd