The role of nonmarital coparents and supportive non-parental adults in the psychosocial adjustment of African American youth from single mother families: a mixed methods study

The current study utilized a mixed methods research design (quantitative data: n = 185; qualitative data n = 20) to examine the quality of relationships African American youth from single mother families have with nonmarital coparents (i.e., adults identified as significantly involved in child-rearing), as well as social support they receive from additional non-parental adults. When not controlling for the full set of predictor variables, higher levels of youth-coparent relationship quality were associated with higher levels of youth self-esteem, and higher levels of coparent monitoring were associated with lower levels of youth externalizing symptoms. In addition, when all the predictors were taken into account, higher levels of youth-coparent relationship quality were associated with lower levels of youth internalizing problems and higher levels of coparent monitoring were associated with higher levels of youth internalizing problems. In addition, several types of SNPA support were associated with the likelihood of alcohol use, and some interactions involving total SNPA support also emerged. In contrast, neither coparent residence nor contact frequency were associated with outcomes. Implications of the results for future research on links between adults outside of biological parents and youth are discussed

The role of non-marital coparents in the psychosocial adjustment of African American youth from single mother-headed families

Little empirical attention has considered the quality of the relationships that African American youths from single mother homes may have with extended family and other non-marital coparents. The current study examined associations between coparent support and three measures of youth adjustment, internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and cognitive competence, in a sample of low-income, urban African American single mother families (n = 141). Findings revealed that coparent support was not directly associated with youth outcomes. However, the two-way interaction of coparent support X positive parenting was significant at Assessment 1 for both externalizing and internalizing symptoms. The negative association between positive parenting and symptoms was strongest in the context of high levels of coparent support. Finally, exploratory analyses revealed some associations of coparent identity (i.e. father, grandmother, sister or other) with the outcome variables. Implications and future directions for research are discussed

Washington State's adoption of a child welfare practice model: An illustration of the Getting To Outcomes implementation framework

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Despite a great need for evidence-informed practices in child welfare, very few child welfare systems have implemented evidence-based case management models state-wide. While the literature on implementation from the perspective of model developers and researchers is steadily increasing, there has been little attention to the process of implementation originating from the reverse direction, by community organizations themselves, or with regard to going-to-scale implementation in child welfare. The Getting to Outcomes (GTO) model, which was originally created to help organizations choose and implement prevention programs, is a promising guide for child welfare systems seeking to initiate system-wide implementation of evidence-based practices. The GTO framework provides a step-by-step guide for surveying a system, building motivation, training, and evaluation. This article will illustrate the state-wide implementation of Solution-Based Casework (SBC), an evidence-based model of case management, by Washington State's Children's Administration, following the GTO framework. Despite some barriers and obstacles, the GTO model proved to be feasible and to aide in the implementation of SBC. Implications for the GTO model as a framework for empowering community organizations to choose and implement relevant evidence-based practices will be discussed

Adolescent alcohol use in context: The role of parents and peers among African American and European American youth.

African American youth are less likely to use alcohol than their European American counterparts; however, the greater consequences of use for African American youth highlight the need for greater research attention to this group. Two social contexts which have been linked with adolescent alcohol use are parents and peers, yet these studies have rarely included African American youth or failed to examine potential racial differences. This study examined the main and interactive effects of parents and peers, as well as the moderating role of race, on alcohol use in African American and European American rural adolescents (n = 71) identified as at high-risk for alcohol use. Contrary to study hypotheses, however, parents were not a more robust moderator for African American than European American youth. Clinical implications for prevention and intervention programming for both African American and European American youth are discussed

Supportive Non-Parental Adults and Adolescent Psychosocial Functioning: Using Social Support as a Theoretical Framework

Supportive Non-Parental Adults (SNPAs), or non-parental adults who provide social support to youth, are present in the lives of many adolescents; yet to date, a guiding framework for organizing the existing literature on the provision of support provided by multiple types of SNPAS, such as teachers, natural mentors, and extended family members, as well as to inform future research efforts, is lacking. The aim of the current paper is to utilize the well-established lens of social support to integrate, across this broad range of literatures, recent findings regarding associations between SNPAs and four indices of adolescent psychosocial adjustment: academic functioning, self-esteem, and behavioral and emotional problems. Beyond offering an integrative framework for understanding the link between SNPAs and adolescent functioning, the issues reviewed here have potentially far-reaching consequences for adolescents and their families, as well as the professionals working with adolescents and their families in the health care, school, and community settings

Non-parental Adults and Sexual Health Behaviors Among Young Minority Men: A Qualitative Examination

Young Black and Latino sexual minority men (YBLSM) exhibit disproportionately high rates of negative sexual health outcomes, including HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, compared to other groups, partly due to relatively higher rates of exposure to a host of socio-structural risk factors (e.g., unstable housing and under-employment). However, an under-studied interpersonal resource exists for many YBLSM, non-parental adults (NPAs, i.e., adults who act as role models and provide social support), who may be able to influence contextual (e.g., unemployment) and individual (e.g., reduced health expectations) factors underlying sexual health disparities. Aims: This study sought to examine the role of NPAs in factors that affect sexual health behaviors and in supporting those health behaviors directly, among YBLSM living in a mid-sized city in the southern United States. A total of n=20 participants, n=10 YBLSM (ages 16 to 22), and n=10 NPAs (ages 26 to 52) were interviewed using semi-structured guides to examine NPA involvement in the lives of YBLSM from both sides of the relationship. The research team used a framework analysis approach to iteratively identify and define meaningful codes and sub-codes. Both YBLSM and NPAs described NPAs helping YBLSM through role modeling and social support in a variety of areas found to affect sexual health behaviors, such as housing instability and psychological distress, as well as in specific behaviors, such as condom use and HIV medication adherence. Given the multiple socio-structural obstacles facing YBLSM and their multifaceted relationships with NPAs, NPAs may be a promising resource to help address these impediments to health. Partnering more intentionally with NPAs is a potentially promising strategy to help reduce HIV-related disparities affecting YBLSM that is worthy of additional empirical attention

Social networks and social support among ball-attending African American men who have sex with men and transgender women are associated with HIV-related outcomes.

The House Ball Community (HBC) is an understudied network of African American men who have sex with men and transgender women, who join family-like houses that compete in elaborate balls in cities across the United States. From 2011 to 2012, we surveyed 274 recent attendees of balls in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on social networks, social support, and HIV-related behaviours. Participants with a high percentage of alters who were supportive of HIV testing were significantly more likely to have tested in the past six months (p = .02), and less likely to have engaged in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in the past three months (p = .003). Multivariate regression analyses of social network characteristics, and social support, revealed that testing in the past six months was significantly associated with social support for safer sex, instrumental social support, and age. Similarly, UAI in the past three months was significantly associated with social support for safer sex, homophily based on sexual identity and HIV status. HIV-related social support provided through the HBC networks was correlated with recent HIV testing and reduced UAI. Approaches utilising networks within alternative kinship systems, may increase HIV-related social support and improve HIV-related outcomes