Child Abuse and Neglect in Nevada

Child maltreatment in Nevada reflects the general social, economic, and health conditions within the state and its local communities. This chapter starts with various definitions of child abuse and neglect, focusing on the approach adopted by Nevada legislators and comparing it with competing definitions. Next, this report examines child abuse and neglect rates in Nevada and tracks the progress the state has made toward achieving its goals related to child welfare outcomes, including child protection and safety, child permanency, and child well-being. The discussion then moves to the most promising child welfare intervention practices and approaches. Finally, the chapter outlines the emerging trends and future directions in child welfare, focusing in particular on workforce development opportunities and related policy alternatives. At the end of this report, readers will find Appendix A, listing major child welfare data sources and Appendix B, identifying key child and family-serving agencies’ management information systems in Nevada

A high resolution record of Greenland mass balance

We map recent Greenland Ice Sheet elevation change at high spatial (5-km) and temporal (monthly) resolution using CryoSat-2 altimetry. After correcting for the impact of changing snowpack properties associated with unprecedented surface melting in 2012, we find good agreement (3 cm/yr bias) with airborne measurements. With the aid of regional climate and firn modelling, we compute high spatial and temporal resolution records of Greenland mass evolution, which correlate (R=0.96) with monthly satellite gravimetry, and reveal glacier dynamic imbalance. During 2011-2014, Greenland mass loss averaged 269±51 Gt/yr. Atmospherically-driven losses were widespread, with surface melt variability driving large fluctuations in the annual mass deficit. Terminus regions of five dynamically-thinning glaciers, which constitute less than 1% of Greenland's area, contributed more than 12% of the net ice loss. This high-resolution record demonstrates that mass deficits extending over small spatial and temporal scales have made a relatively large contribution to recent ice sheet imbalance

State of the climate in 2013

In 2013, the vast majority of the monitored climate variables reported here maintained trends established in recent decades. ENSO was in a neutral state during the entire year, remaining mostly on the cool side of neutral with modest impacts on regional weather patterns around the world. This follows several years dominated by the effects of either La Niña or El Niño events. According to several independent analyses, 2013 was again among the 10 warmest years on record at the global scale, both at the Earths surface and through the troposphere. Some regions in the Southern Hemisphere had record or near-record high temperatures for the year. Australia observed its hottest year on record, while Argentina and New Zealand reported their second and third hottest years, respectively. In Antarctica, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station reported its highest annual temperature since records began in 1957. At the opposite pole, the Arctic observed its seventh warmest year since records began in the early 20th century. At 20-m depth, record high temperatures were measured at some permafrost stations on the North Slope of Alaska and in the Brooks Range. In the Northern Hemisphere extratropics, anomalous meridional atmospheric circulation occurred throughout much of the year, leading to marked regional extremes of both temperature and precipitation. Cold temperature anomalies during winter across Eurasia were followed by warm spring temperature anomalies, which were linked to a new record low Eurasian snow cover extent in May. Minimum sea ice extent in the Arctic was the sixth lowest since satellite observations began in 1979. Including 2013, all seven lowest extents on record have occurred in the past seven years. Antarctica, on the other hand, had above-average sea ice extent throughout 2013, with 116 days of new daily high extent records, including a new daily maximum sea ice area of 19.57 million km2 reached on 1 October. ENSO-neutral conditions in the eastern central Pacific Ocean and a negative Pacific decadal oscillation pattern in the North Pacific had the largest impacts on the global sea surface temperature in 2013. The North Pacific reached a historic high temperature in 2013 and on balance the globally-averaged sea surface temperature was among the 10 highest on record. Overall, the salt content in nearsurface ocean waters increased while in intermediate waters it decreased. Global mean sea level continued to rise during 2013, on pace with a trend of 3.2 mm yr-1 over the past two decades. A portion of this trend (0.5 mm yr-1) has been attributed to natural variability associated with the Pacific decadal oscillation as well as to ongoing contributions from the melting of glaciers and ice sheets and ocean warming. Global tropical cyclone frequency during 2013 was slightly above average with a total of 94 storms, although the North Atlantic Basin had its quietest hurricane season since 1994. In the Western North Pacific Basin, Super Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest tropical cyclone of 2013, had 1-minute sustained winds estimated to be 170 kt (87.5 m s-1) on 7 November, the highest wind speed ever assigned to a tropical cyclone. High storm surge was also associated with Haiyan as it made landfall over the central Philippines, an area where sea level is currently at historic highs, increasing by 200 mm since 1970. In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide all continued to increase in 2013. As in previous years, each of these major greenhouse gases once again reached historic high concentrations. In the Arctic, carbon dioxide and methane increased at the same rate as the global increase. These increases are likely due to export from lower latitudes rather than a consequence of increases in Arctic sources, such as thawing permafrost. At Mauna Loa, Hawaii, for the first time since measurements began in 1958, the daily average mixing ratio of carbon dioxide exceeded 400 ppm on 9 May. The state of these variables, along with dozens of others, and the 2013 climate conditions of regions around the world are discussed in further detail in this 24th edition of the State of the Climate series. © 2014, American Meteorological Society. All rights reserved

The hidden minority: Discrimination and mental health among international students in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic

International students in the US occupy a precarious position at the intersection of immigration policy and global education mobility, one made more challenging by the disparate impact of COVID-19 on college students\u27 mental health. Few studies, however, have explored the pandemic\u27s effects on mental well-being among the international student population in the US. Our study aims to provide initial empirical evidence on the mental health status of these students, with a specific focus on discrimination, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. We propose a mediation framework and estimate the mediating effects of loneliness and anxiety in the relationships between discrimination and depression in a sample of US-based international students (N = 103). We collected cross-sectional data from July to August 2020, using a 50-item online survey instrument with three open-ended questions. Mediation analyses using PROCESS Macro were used to analyse quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Findings showed that higher levels of discrimination were significantly associated with higher levels of loneliness. Higher levels of loneliness were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety, which in turn led to high levels of depressive symptoms. Our study contributes to understanding the needs and capacities of international students in the wake of COVID-19 and simultaneously provides pragmatic program and policy implications for inclusive higher education environments and the overall health and well-being of this crucial US student population

Mask wearing and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19: The moderating role of discrimination

This study examined associations among discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19. : Undergraduate and graduate international students enrolled in universities during the 2020 summer semester participated in the online survey ( = 103). : Perceived discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts during COVID-19 were assessed by self-reports. Multivariable logistic regressions examined the association among discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts and explored the potential moderation effect of discrimination on the association between mask-wearing and self-harming thoughts. : 18.6% of participants reported self-harming thoughts. Increased discrimination was significantly associated with increased odds of self-harming thoughts. Discrimination significantly moderated the association between mask wearing and self-harming thoughts. : The findings highlight the importance of increased availability of culturally appropriate mental health services for international students and the need for increased advocacy to decrease discrimination against international students in the current societal context

Engagement Measures in Maltreatment Prevention Studies: A Scoping Review

Engagement Measures in Maltreatment Prevention Studies: A Scoping Review Authors Deborah Moon1 C. Bailey Nichols1 Aimee Sgourakis2 Amanda Cruce1 Yiran Zhang3 Hanna Haran3 Michelle Johnson-Motoyama3 1) University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work 2) University of Pittsburgh, University Library System 3) Ohio State University, College of Social Work Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to investigate how family engagement is operationalized and measured in the studies of the interventions designed to prevent maltreatment and/or promote positive parenting. Introduction: The child welfare system is making an important shift toward prevention. It is crucial to understand how to engage potential beneficiaries in timely services to maximize the benefits of the transition. Family engagement is a complex and multidimensional construct with varied definitions and inconsistent emphasis on specific domains. The first step toward developing effective engagement strategies should begin with the effort to better operationalize and measure the construct. Previous reviews of engagement measures focus on those engaged in psychotherapy (Tetley et al., 2011) and families with identified needs such as those with issues related to mental health (Haine-Schlagel & Walsh, 2015) or substance use (Hock et al., 2015). A comprehensive overview of the existing measures of family engagement will point to areas which need further development and thereby contribute to the knowledge of engagement in maltreatment prevention research. Inclusion criteria: This study will examine quantitative and mixed methods studies in which multiple dimensions of family (parent) engagement are measured, including behavioural (i.e., attendance, dosage, service completion, etc.), attitudinal (cognitive and emotional) or relational engagement in interventions designed to prevent child maltreatment and/or promote positive parenting among parents within the United States. Studies focusing on interventions that target parents who are currently involved with the child welfare system due to maltreatment issues will be excluded. Qualitative or conceptual studies will be excluded. Additionally, studies which primarily target health, mental health, substance abuse, or other psychosocial outcomes without a focus on maltreatment prevention or positive parenting will be excluded. Methods: This review will include studies selected from Pubmed, CINAHL, ERIC, PsychInfo, Social Work Abstracts, Academic Search Premier, and Web of Science. We will include studies published in English after the year 2000. Google Scholar was used to identify an initial sample of studies to be included in the review. We will also conduct a backward search of all included articles to search for additional articles. Search results will be imported into Pico Portal software for screening. Two authors will screen titles and abstracts prior to a full text screen. Interrater reliability will be calculated throughout the screening process. After the full text screen, data from each study will be extracted by two reviewers and included in an Excel spreadsheet and any differences between reviewers will be resolved. A summary chart of extracted information will be included in the final manuscript alongside discussion of the findings. Review Question: How is family engagement operationalized and measured in studies of maltreatment prevention and/or positive parenting interventions?   Keywords: engagement, maltreatment, parenting, participation, prevention Start Date: February 1, 2022 Anticipated Completion Date: July 31, 202

An audit of the cervical screening programme in the National Drug Treatment Centre (NDTC).

BACKGROUND Women diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUDs) have higher rates of major medical conditions compared to women without SUDs. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women aged 20-39 years worldwide and women with SUDs have an increased risk of cervical cancer compared to women without SUD. The National Drug Treatment Centre (NDTC) cervical screening programme, derived from the national CervicalCheck programme, offers free cervical screening to patients attending for treatment of SUDs. AIMS This study aimed to audit adherence to the NDTC Cervical Screening guidelines before and after the implementation of an awareness-raising educational intervention. METHODS The electronic clinical records of women aged between 25 and 60 years attending the lead consultant's (M.S.) outpatient clinic were reviewed for documentary evidence indicating that information about the cervical screening programme had been discussed. This was completed before and one month after the implementation of an awareness-raising educational intervention. RESULTS All women (n = 46, mean age 36.3 (SD = 6.5) years) had an opioid use disorder; 85% had a benzodiazepine use disorder, and 24% had an alcohol use disorder. Of these, 80% had at least one chronic medical condition, 76% had a psychiatric disorder, and 59% were homeless. Adherence to the NDTC cervical screening guideline, as indicated by documentary evidence in clinical records, was 33% (14/43) at baseline, and rose to 88% (36/41) (p < 0.0001) one month after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS This completed audit cycle shows that an awareness-raising educational intervention can significantly improve adherence to a cervical screening programme in women with SUDs