Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Promoting Resilience in Disadvantaged Children

This article addresses the emergence of a resilience‐based prevention practice perspective that focuses on positively affecting the development of disadvantaged, at‐risk children. Significant progress has been made in understanding risk and resilience processes; however, use of the field's advances in applied settings has lagged. The article will attempt to bridge this gap by reviewing relevant issues in program design, implementation, and evaluation from a resilience perspective. Risk and resilience dynamics are briefly highlighted to illuminate theoretical routes for promoting positive adaptation. Trends in constructing preventive programs are underscored, focusing on ecological routes to behavioral and environmental change. Finally, prevention and early intervention programs for disadvantaged children ages 3–9 illustrate issues in program conception and effectiveness. Methodological concerns in evaluation of these programs are discussed, and future recommendations are given

Demographic, Psychological, and School Environment Correlates of Bullying Victimization and School Hassles in Rural Youth

Little is known about bullying in rural areas. The participants in this study included 3,610 racially diverse youth (average age = 12.8) from 28 rural schools who completed the School Success Profile-Plus. Binary logistic regression models were created to predict bullying victimization in the past 12 months, and ordered logistic regression was used to predict school hassles in the past 12 months. Overall, 22.71% of the sample experienced bullying victimization and school victimization rates ranged from 11% to 38%. Risk factors for bullying victimization included younger students and students experiencing depression and anxiety. Being female, Hispanic/Latino or African American, was associated with lower bullying victimization. Thirty-nine percent of the sample reported a high level of school hassles. Younger students and students with higher levels of anxiety and depression were at increased risk for school hassles. Students from larger schools reported high levels of school hassles, while students from schools with more teachers with advanced degrees reported fewer school hassles

Constructing “Packages” of Evidence-Based Programs to Prevent Youth Violence: Processes and Illustrative Examples From the CDC’s Youth Violence Prevention Centers

This paper describes the strategic efforts of six National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPC), funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to work in partnership with local communities to create comprehensive evidence-based program packages to prevent youth violence. Key components of a comprehensive evidence-based approach are defined and examples are provided from a variety of community settings (rural and urban) across the nation that illustrate attempts to respond to the unique needs of the communities while maintaining a focus on evidence-based programming and practices. At each YVPC site, the process of selecting prevention and intervention programs addressed the following factors: (1) community capacity, (2) researcher and community roles in selecting programs, (3) use of data in decision-making related to program selection, and (4) reach, resources, and dosage. We describe systemic barriers to these efforts, lessons learned, and opportunities for policy and practice. Although adopting an evidence-based comprehensive approach requires significant upfront resources and investment, it offers great potential for preventing youth violence and promoting the successful development of children, families and communities

Scaling Up a Multifaceted Violence Prevention Package: County-Level Impact of the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center

OBJECTIVE: Multifaceted approaches to youth-violence prevention package evidence-based programs into initiatives that yield large-scale impact. This study assessed the impact of a package of evidence-based violence prevention programs, implemented as part of the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center, on county-level violence indicators. METHOD: Using growth-curve modeling, the target county was compared to all other counties in North Carolina and a comparison county. RESULTS: Results reveal downward trends on several county-level indicators (i.e., undisciplined/delinquent complaints, total delinquent complaints, juvenile arrests–aggravated assaults, and short-term suspensions) throughout the intervention period. However, statistical tests were unable to confirm that intervention-period scores on youth-violence indicators were significantly different than expected scores given the relationship between pretest and intervention-period scores in other North Carolina counties. CONCLUSIONS: Although additional administrative data points are needed to support the hypotheses, this study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center interventions

Modeling Ecological Risk, Health Promotion, and Prevention Program Effects for Rural Adolescents

Objective: Universal prevention programs such as Positive Action (PA) mitigate risk factors and enhance promotive factors, often leading to improved adolescent functioning and school climate. The current study used 5 waves of data to assess the impact of PA on adolescent mental health and perceptions of school climate 1 year after completion of the program in a sample of low-income, rural youth. Method: Following multiple imputation and propensity score analysis, we ran 4 (2-level) hierarchal linear models to examine program effects. Results: PA program participants reported significant increases in self-esteem and significant decreases in school hassles relative to youths who did not participate in PA. Participation in PA did not have a significant impact on internalizing symptoms or aggression. Risk factors across the adolescents’ ecology had a strong negative impact on the outcomes, and some promotive factors modestly bolstered adolescent functioning. Conclusions: Findings highlight the influence that risk factors—especially negative interpersonal conflicts—have on adolescent outcomes and indicate that, although PA can help improve adolescents’ perceptions of themselves and their school climate, the program might need to be tailored for use in low-income, rural areas

Demographic and sociocultural risk factors for adulthood weight gain in Hispanic/Latinos: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Background United States (US) Hispanic/Latinos experience a disproportionate burden of obesity, which may in part be related to demographic or sociocultural factors, including acculturation to an US diet or inactive lifestyle. Therefore, we sought to describe the association between adulthood weight histories and demographic and sociocultural factors in a large diverse community-based cohort of US Hispanic/Latinos. Methods We estimated the effect of several factors on weight gain across adulthood, using multivariable linear mixed models to leverage 38,759 self-reported current body weights and weight histories recalled for 21, 45 and 65 years of age, from 15,203 adults at least 21 years of age at the baseline visit of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2008–2011). Results The average rate of weight gain was nearly 10 kg per decade in early adulthood, but slowed to < 5 kg a decade among individuals 60+ years of age. Birth cohort, gender, nativity or age at immigration, Hispanic/Latino background, and study site each significantly modified the form of the predicted adulthood weight trajectory. Among immigrants, weight gain during the 5 years post-migration was on average 0.88 kg (95% CI: 0.04, 1.72) greater than the weight gain during the 5 years prior. The rate of weight gain appeared to slow after 15 years post-migration. Conclusions Using self-reported and weight history data in a diverse sample of US Hispanic/Latinos, we revealed that both demographic and sociocultural factors were associated with the patterning of adulthood weight gain in this sample. Given the steep rate of weight gain in this population and the fact that many Hispanic/Latinos living in the US immigrated as adults, efforts to promote weight maintenance across the life course, including after immigration, should be a top priority for promoting Hispanic/Latino health and addressing US health disparities more broadly

Constructing “Packages” of Evidence-Based Programs to Prevent Youth Violence: Processes and Illustrative Examples From the CDC’s Youth Violence Prevention Centers

This paper describes the strategic efforts of six National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPC), funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to work in partnership with local communities to create comprehensive evidence-based program packages to prevent youth violence. Key components of a comprehensive evidence-based approach are defined and examples are provided from a variety of community settings (rural and urban) across the nation that illustrate attempts to respond to the unique needs of the communities while maintaining a focus on evidence-based programming and practices. At each YVPC site, the process of selecting prevention and intervention programs addressed the following factors: (1) community capacity, (2) researcher and community roles in selecting programs, (3) use of data in decision-making related to program selection, and (4) reach, resources, and dosage. We describe systemic barriers to these efforts, lessons learned, and opportunities for policy and practice. Although adopting an evidence-based comprehensive approach requires significant upfront resources and investment, it offers great potential for preventing youth violence and promoting the successful development of children, families and communities

Eclectic approach to anxiety disorders among rural children Abordagem ecletica a transtornos de ansiedade em criancas de zona rural

Introduction: Anxiety disorders in primary school-aged children negatively affect their mental health and psychological development. Available non-medical treatments for these conditions are time-consuming and expensive. In this context, eclectic therapy is a therapeutic approach that incorporates some therapeutic techniques and philosophies to create the ideal treatment. In this study, eclectic therapy consisted of art therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy designed for children suffering from high level of anxiety in their middle childhood years. The therapy also included group guidance sessions for their mothers. The effectiveness of this intervention was examined in the study. Methods: 61 students aged 9-12 years with high levels of anxiety participated in the study. Intervention A (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children with 3-hour group guidance sessions for their mothers. Intervention B (n = 20) consisted of 9-hour eclectic therapy for children. There was also a control group (n = 21). Results: Teacher ratings of children’s mental health difficulties and self-report ratings of anxiety disorders indicated a significant difference from pretest to posttest, revealing a large effect size between the two interventions. Higher levels of pretest scores significantly predicted higher posttest scores for all domains of anxiety and mental health difficulties. Furthermore, age, gender, mothers working a 15-hour day, mother’s educational level, parental divorce rates, parental death, and family monthly income predicted therapy outcomes. Conclusion: Results provide support for the effectiveness of eclectic art and CBT to improve children’s mental health and reduce anxiety through changing thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that may cause fear and anxiety