Individual and Family Correlates of Adolescents\u27 Sexual Behavior: Multiethnic Findings

The purpose of this study was to examine correlates of adolescent sexual activity, including age of first date, family composition, clarity of long term goals, and maternal and paternal views about premarital sex. There were 672 males and females, three races/ethnicities, both urban and suburban settings, and socioeconomic diversity. Sexual behavior was most related to parental views about premarital sex, adolescents’ own values toward premarital sex, clarity of adolescents’ long term goals, and the age when adolescents first learned about sexual intercourse. Important implications for sex education are discussed. Potential intervention variations by gender and race/ethnicity should be considered

Developing Cross-System Communication to Promote Educational Well-Being in Foster Care Youth: Recommendations for a National Research, Practice, and Policy Agenda

This study captures the voices of school-based behavioral specialists who are employed across the state of Michigan to share how well schools and child welfare agencies communicate and collaborate to address the educational well-being of foster care children on their caseloads. This includes knowledge of federal policies and how they support and hinder communication across systems. Participants included a total of 249 K-12 employed school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Survey methodology was used and both inferential and narrative analyses revealed that these school practitioners were highly unaware of how to identify the foster care children in their schools, and what supports they need. The three groups of school-based professionals were similarly unaware, minimal communication is occurring with outside agencies, and they largely do not take initiative in reaching out to communicate and collaborate with community-based agencies outside the school. Despite that, collectively, the work of child welfare and education professionals could have a substantial impact on retention and the overall student performance of children who are living in out of home care. Implications of this lack communication and awareness are discussed. Recommendations to guide a national research agenda for advocacy and policy efforts are also identified

The Impact of Future Orientation on the Avoidance of Teen Pregnancy

This study explores the relationship between future orientation and teens’ attitudes about pregnancy and avoidance behaviors. Participants were 91 adolescents, ages 15-19, surveyed using measures developed for this study that examined future orientation, attitudes to avoiding pregnancy, child-rearing responsibility, and perceptions about teen parenting. The results suggested that finishing high school was important in predicting a desire to avoid pregnancy. The perception that a teen pregnancy would make it difficult to achieve post-high school educational goals, specifically a college education, was also found to be important. Implications for school counselors and mental health professionals are discussed. Issues specific to non college-bound students are addressed

Student Perspectives on how Trauma Experiences Manifest in the Classroom: Engaging Court-Involved Youth in the Development of a Trauma-Informed Teaching Curriculum

This study explores how the lived experience of court-involved youth impacts learning and school culture, and solicits youth voice in creating a trauma-informed intervention to improve student educational well-being. Thirty-nine female students, ages 14 to 18, participated in focus groups to describe externalizing behaviors that they have both witnessed and personally struggled with in the classroom, discuss the perceived causes of these behaviors, and their suggestions for improving school culture to reduce these behavior manifestations in the classroom. Two major categories of behavior were identified, including: “anger emotions” and “aggressive actions.” Students described the causes of behavior as, “environmental influences” and “triggers.” The most common solutions that students gave to reduce externalizing behaviors in school settings included “encouraging respect of others” and “improving behavior management to enhance student engagement.” An additional solution suggested by the students included the “monarch room as support.” The Monarch Room is an alternative intervention to traditional suspension/expulsion polices that provides students in need of specific emotional support an opportunity to redirect/de-escalate externalizing behavior or mood in the school setting. This study highlights the need for trauma-informed approaches in school settings, and the importance of the inclusion of a youth voice in developing and implementing these intervention models

A reciprocal effects model of children's body fat self-concept : Relations with physical self-concept and physical activity

This study investigated a reciprocal effects model (REM) of children’s body fat self-concept and physical self-concept, and objectively measured school physical activity at different intensities. Grade four students (N = 376; M age = 9.07, SD = .61; 55% boys) from the midwest region of the United States completed measures of physical self-concept and body fat self-concept, and wore accelerometers for three consecutive school days at the beginning and end of one school year. Findings from structural equation modeling analyses did not support reciprocal effects. However, children’s body fat self-concept predicted future physical self-concept and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Multigroup analyses explored the moderating role of weight status, sex, ethnicity, and sex*ethnicity within the REM. Findings supported invariance, suggesting that the observed relations were generalizable for these children across demographic groups. Links between body fat self-concept and future physical self-concept and MVPA highlight self-enhancing effects that can promote children’s health and well-being

Academic and Psychosocial Outcomes of a Physical Activity Program with Fourth Graders: Variations Among Schools in Six Urban School Districts

The purpose was to examine academic achievement, school attachment, and peer acceptance before and after a comprehensive school-based physical activity program (CSPAP) with 378 children in 12 fourth-grade classrooms across six schools in primarily low-socioeconomic status (SES) districts of a large Midwestern metropolitan area. Both personal and normative rate of academic achievement improvement metrics were used. Overall, all students showed personal math and reading growth. However, effects varied by types of achievement indicator and comparison group, revealing noteworthy school-level demographic and implementation characteristics that are inextricably intertwined with program effectiveness and student growth. Implications, especially for minimizing generalizations, are significant

Physical Activity Change Through Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs in Urban Elementary Schools

he impact of Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) on urban children’s, educators’, and parents’ physical activity (PA) is relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore overall changes in student, educator, and parent PA after an 8-month CSPAP-based program. This longitudinal, exploratory study implemented a CSPAP in 20 urban elementary schools, with six randomized for research. In-school PA was measured prepost for all fourth grade students using accelerometers. Parent and educator PA was self-reported using the IPAQ. RM-ANOVAs revealed significant prepost increases in minutes of student MVPA (P \u3c .001). Parents significantly increased PA (P \u3c .01) and although educators’ reported change in PA, it was not statistically significant (P = .50). This study provides unique information about the potential influence of one CSPAP on students’ overall PA, PA by individual context within the school, the differential PA patterns by race, and PA changes for educators and parents

An ecological approach to understanding academic achievement: Considering intrapersonal, physical activity, and support variables

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between measures of students’ physical well-being and self-perception and their academic achievement. Specifically, we look at students’ social support for physical activity, physical activity perceptions, self-concept, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured by the PACER test). Students (n = 697 fifth graders) were surveyed at the beginning of the school year. A two-group path analysis revealed notable relationships between the predictor variables and proximal and distal outcomes, with some paths moderated by sex. One relationship that was significant for both sexes was cardiorespiratory fitness, as it was the only significant predictor of achievement. This effect was moderate to large for the female students (R_Math^2 = 36%; R_Read^2 = 15%) and small to large for the male students (R_Math^2 = 26%; R_Read^2 = 10%). These findings can be used to guide future research and educational prevention and intervention efforts

Considering Physical Well-Being, Self-perceptions, and Support Variables in Understanding Youth Academic Achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between measures of students’ physical well-being and self-perception and their academic achievement. Specifically, we look at students’ social support for physical activity, physical activity perceptions, self-concept, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured by the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run [PACER] test). Students (n = 697 fifth graders) were surveyed at the beginning of the school year. A two-group path analysis revealed notable relationships between the predictor variables and proximal and distal outcomes, with some paths moderated by sex. One relationship that was significant for both sexes was cardiorespiratory fitness, as it was the only significant predictor of achievement. This effect was moderate to large for the female students (R2Math=36%; R2Read=15%) and small to large for the male students (R2Math=26%; R2Math=10%). These findings can be used to guide future research and educational prevention and intervention efforts

Pediatric patients with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome receiving continuous renal replacement therapy

Pediatric patients with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome receiving continuous renal replacement therapy.BackgroundCritical illness leading to multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and associated acute renal failure (ARF) is less common in children compared to adult patients. As a result, many issues plague the pediatric ARF outcome literature, including a relative lack of prospective study, a lack of modality stratification in subject populations and inconsistent controls for patient illness severity in outcome analysis.MethodsWe now report data from the first multicenter study to assess the outcome of pediatric patients with MODS receiving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). One hundred twenty of 157 Registry patients (63 male/57 female) experienced MODS during their course.ResultsOne hundred sixteen patients had complete data available for analysis. The most common causes leading to CRRT were sepsis (N = 47; 39.2%) and cardiogenic shock (N = 24; 20%). Overall survival was 51.7%. Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM 2) score, central venous pressure (CVP), and% fluid overload (%FO) at CRRT initiation were significantly lower for survivors versus nonsurvivors. Multivariate analysis controlling for severity of illness using PRISM 2 at CRRT initiation revealed that%FO was still significantly lower for survivors versus nonsurvivors (P < 0.05) even for patients receiving both mechanical ventilation and vasoactive pressors. We speculate that increased fluid administration from PICU admission to CRRT initiation is an independent risk factor for mortality in pediatric patients with MODS receiving CRRT.ConclusionWe suggest that after initial resuscitative efforts, an increased emphasis should be placed on early initiation of CRRT and inotropic agent use over fluid administration to maintain acceptable blood pressure