"Let's talk about it": Black youths' perceptions on the development of a school-based social media campaign.

The increase in social media mental health (MH) campaigns provides an opportunity to improve awareness and attitudes toward MH. However, racial disparities remain in these social media campaigns. Black youth who participated in MH social media campaigns reported lower levels of improvement in stigma and help-seeking than their White peers. We employed a youth participatory action research (YPAR) process to expand on a previous community-wide MH social media campaign (A. Thompson et al., 2021), focusing on a Central Midwest community. We studied Black adolescents' perceptions of MH stigma and help-seeking to determine essential features of a culturally responsive MH social media campaign for Black youth. With a lead youth-research collaborator, the research team designed the following two-staged study. The first stage consisted of four semistructured focus group interviews (FGIs) (N = 20), analyzed by using a rapid analysis strategy to obtain results for the development of the campaign. In the second stage, using YPAR's iterative and action-based process, five youth researchers collaborated with the research team on the campaign's design. Following the two stages, the researcher's thematic analysis resulted in three themes: (a) broadening horizons for campaign designers and MH professionals; (b) considering mistrust of schools and school personnel; and (c) diverse experiences, sustainability, and accessibility in a campaign. Findings indicated that while culturally responsive social media campaigns to promote MH can be designed, mistrust of adults in schools is likely to hinder the impact of such campaigns. Implications for school psychology practice and research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Usability and social consequences of the early identification system as a universal screener for social, emotional, and behavioral risks.

The Early Identification System (EIS) was developed to overcome many of the usability challenges of school-based behavior screeners. Several prior studies have documented the technical adequacy of the EIS. The present study expanded this work by examining the use, relevance, values implications, and social consequence of EIS implementation in a sample of 54 K-12 schools and 23,104 students in the Midwestern United States. We found that nearly all schools, teachers, and students completed the EIS as planned. Schools used the data to provide universal, selective, and indicated services to a high percentage of students identified with risks as well as to plan professional development for educators based on the screening data. Seventy-nine percent of schools implemented the EIS system with high fidelity, and fidelity was unrelated to student demographic composition within schools. These findings suggest that the EIS may overcome many of the usability barriers that plague common behavior screeners. Limitations and implications for advancing the science of social consequence evaluation are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of Timing of Mental Health Interventions for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A 10-year Matched Cohort Study of Workers' Compensation Claims.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of timing of mental health interventions in workers' compensation claims for mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). METHODS: A 10-year matched retrospective cohort study of MTBI claims. Cases who started treatment within 3 months of the date of injury were hard matched to cases who started treatment more than 3 months after the date of injury. Outcomes were incremental cost difference and loss of earnings benefit duration 1 year after first intervention. RESULTS: Seventeen percent (17%) of patients received mental health interventions. The early mental health intervention group had lower mean costs (incremental difference$1580 [95% CI: $5718 to $2085]) and shorter durations of disability (off loss of earnings) (59.2% versus 46.6%, NS). Sensitivity and stratified analyses demonstrated the same trend. CONCLUSIONS: Early mental health interventions for MTBI patients may lead to reduced health care costs and shorter durations of disability.

Self-management interventions for reducing challenging behaviors among school-age students: A systematic review.

Background: Challenging classroom behaviors can interfere with student social and academic functioning and may be harmful to everyone in schools. Self-management interventions within schools can address these concerns by helping students develop necessary social, emotional, and behavioral skills. Thus, the current systematic review synthesized and analyzed school-based self-management interventions used to address challenging classroom behaviors. Objectives: The current study aimed to inform practice and policy by (a) evaluating the effectiveness of self-management interventions at improving classroom behaviors and academic outcomes and (b) examining the state of research for self-management interventions based on existing literature. Search Methods: Comprehensive search procedures included electronically searching online databases (e.g., EBSCO Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, ERIC, PsycINFO), hand-searching 19 relevant journals (e.g., School Mental Health, Journal of School Psychology), reference-list searching 21 relevant reviews, and searching gray literature (e.g., contacting authors, searching online dissertation/theses databases and national government clearinghouses/websites). Searches were completed through December of 2020. Selection Criteria: Included studies employed either a multiple group-design (i.e., experimental or quasi-experimental) or single-case experimental research design and met the following criteria: (a) utilized a self-management intervention, (b) conducted in a school setting, (c) included school-aged students, and (d) assessed classroom behaviors. Data Collection and Analysis: Standard data collection procedures expected by the Campbell Collaboration were used in the current study. Analyses for single-case design studies incorporated three-level hierarchical models to synthesize main effects, and meta-regression for moderation. Further, robust variance estimation was applied to both single-case design and group-design studies to account for dependency issues. Main Results: Our final single-case design sample included 75 studies, 236 participants, and 456 effects (i.e., 351 behavioral outcomes and 105 academic outcomes). Our final group-design sample included 4 studies, 422 participants, and 11 total behavioral effects. Most studies occurred in the United States, in urban communities, in public schools, and in elementary settings. Single-case design results indicated that self-management interventions significantly and positively impacted both student classroom behaviors (LRRi = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.59, 0.78]) and academic outcomes (LRRi = 0.58, 95% CI [0.41, 0.76]). Single-case results were found to be moderated by student race and special education status, whereas intervention effects were more pronounced for African American students (F = 5.56, p = 0.02) and students receiving special education services (F = 6.87, p = 0.01). Single-case results were not found to be moderated by intervention characteristics (i.e., intervention duration, fidelity assessment, fidelity method, or training). Despite positive findings for single-case design studies, risk of bias assessment indicated methodological shortcomings that should be considered when interpreting findings. A significant main effect of self-management interventions for improving classroom behaviors was also revealed for group-design studies (g = 0.63, 95% CI [0.08, 1.17]). However, these results should be interpreted with caution given the small number of included group-design studies. Implications for Policy Practice and Research: The current study, conducted using comprehensive search/screening procedures and advanced meta-analytic techniques, adds to the large amount of evidence indicating that self-management interventions can be successfully used to address student behaviors and academic outcomes. In particular, the use specific self-management elements (i.e., self-determining a performance goal, self-observing and recording progress, reflecting on a target behavior, and administering primary reinforcers) should be considered within current interventions as well as in the development of future interventions. Future research should aim to assess the implementation and effects of self-management at the group or classroom-level within randomized controlled trials.

Effect of Daily Teacher Feedback on Subsequent Motivation and Mental Health Outcomes in Fifth Grade Students: a Person-Centered Analysis.

Prevention scientists recognize that implementing effective prevention practices and programs responsive to the needs of individuals but based solely upon the findings from variable-centered methods presents several limitations due to numerous risk factors, pathways, and unobserved influences. One such understudied influence that is masked by variable-centered methods, motivation, is a person-level characteristic that influences treatment outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of an alternative person-centered approach, group iterative multiple model estimation (GIMME), to model change over time that focuses on the interdependence of daily student motivation levels and teacher feedback and their relations to student outcomes over time. Specifically, we used GIMME to model person level responses to negative teacher feedback regarding students' next day motivational ratings using data from 58 5th grade students participating in a study of the impact of the self-monitoring and regulation training strategy (SMARTS). Results identified a set of SMARTS students whose daily readiness aligned with high rates of self and teacher agreement regarding ongoing performance ratings. However, results identified a group of students whose daily motivation and readiness for change was adversely impacted by negative teacher feedback the day before. For these students, they were more likely than their peers to experience high levels of depression and internalization scores. Motivationally oriented practice suggestions for providing feedback to students who may be sensitive to this type of feedback and research implications of these findings are discussed.

Confirmatory Factor Structure and Predictive Validity of the Early Identification System-Student Report in a Community Sample of High School Students.

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the factor structure, examine the invariance, and investigate the predictive validity using disciplinary data for 5262 high school students who completed the Early Identification System-Student Response (EIS-SR). The development and theory of the EIS-SR is discussed along with prior work. Building off of prior factor analytic work with a separate sample, it was hypothesized the items of the EIS-SR would coalesce into seven factors representing Externalizing Behavior, Internalizing Behavior, Peer Relationship Problems, School Disengagement, Emotional Dysregulation, Attention and Academic Issues, and Relational Aggression. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that EIS-SR scores would be invariant with regard to gender and grade level. Lastly, it was hypothesized that students with high EIS-SR subscale scores would be predictive of school discipline events. Our analyses indicated the EIS-SR did fit the previously observed factor structure with the items loading on seven distinct scales. Tests for measurement invariance indicated support that the EIS-SR measured the seven factors equally well regardless of both gender and grade level. Lastly, EIS-SR subscale scores predicted spring office disciplinary referrals, both in and out of school suspensions, and attendance.

An investigation of the psychometric properties of the early identification system-student report in a middle school sample.

Early adolescence represents a critical developmental period for the identification, prevention, and early intervention of mental health concerns. The Early Identification System-Student Report (EIS-SR) was developed as a user-friendly, accessible, and cost-efficient method for identifying youth at risk for mental health concerns. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the EIS-SR in a sample of middle school students in the Midwest. Two confirmatory factor analyses (N1 = 2,404, N2 = 2,404) supported the hypothesized seven correlated factor model showing adequate model fit and subscale reliability (range = .68-.90). Subsequent analyses found that many of the EIS-SR subscales predicted office discipline referrals, suspensions, and standardized academic achievement performance. Additionally, the subscales correlated in expected ways with subscales of the Behavior Assessment Scales for Children (3rd edition). These findings suggest that the EIS-SR is promising for identifying youth in early adolescence who are at risk for mental health concerns in addition to being a free and efficient universal screening tool. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Missouri Prevention Center: A multidisciplinary approach to reducing the societal prevalence and burden of youth mental health problems.

The challenges presented by the growing prevalence, burden, and unmet service needs of youth mental health problems are formidable. During the past decade, scholars and other stakeholders of the Missouri Prevention Center (MPC) have been using a prevention and implementation science approach to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate recommended practices in promoting youth mental health in real world contexts. The purpose of this article is to describe the multidisciplinary contributions of MPC to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral health of youth, locally and nationally. We briefly summarize MPC scholarship that has addressed the individual and social-contextual risk and protective factors of youth mental health at home, school, and community. The article concludes with a description of two large-scale community projects, funded by an innovative local sales tax, that represent the systematic application of MPC scholarship and outreach. Together these projects provide mental health screening for every youth in our county three times per year and a single point of entry into the mental health service system where any family in our county can access an evaluation and referral for their child at no cost to them. The projects serve as model demonstrations for how communities can address the challenges of youth mental health concerns through multidisciplinary collaborations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of Incredible Years® on teacher perceptions of parental involvement: A latent transition analysis.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) training on teacher perceptions of parental involvement. A cluster randomized design was used to assign 42 classroom teachers to either an IY TCM training (n=19) or a control condition (n=23). Teachers rated parental involvement (i.e., bonding with teacher, parental involvement at school) for the families of 805 low income students (IY TCM=504, control=301). A latent profile transition analysis framework was used to model the effect of IY TCM on teacher perceptions of parental involvement from pre to posttest. Four profiles consisting of various patterns of high, medium, and low teacher perceptions of bonding with and involvement of parents emerged. Analyses of teacher profiles at baseline revealed teachers who felt parental involvement and bonding was low were also likely to rate students as having more externalizing behaviors, fewer social competencies, more attention deficit symptoms, and disruptive behaviors towards adults and peers compared to teachers with more adaptive profiles. Further analysis revealed that parents of teachers randomly assigned to IY TCM were more likely to transition to a more adaptive view of parental involvement at follow-up compared to teachers in the control condition. Because teacher perceptions of parental involvement may adversely impact teacher attitudes towards difficult students, findings from the present study support the promise of teacher training as an avenue for conferring protections for struggling students.

Pre-Post Evaluation of an Integrated Return to Work Planning Program in Workers' Compensation Assessment Clinics.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a new workers' compensation medical assessment model on loss of earnings (LOE) benefits duration. METHODS: A medical assessment model was introduced incorporating return to work planning and inclusion of the worker's treating physician. Impact of the program on LOE benefit duration was assessed using a quasi-experimental pre-post study design. Cox PH multivariable regression was adjusted for age, gender, injury severity, time to referral, and industry. RESULTS: The study population comprised 3146 workers: 1794 assessed pre-intervention and 1574 assessed after introduction of the new model. There was a significant reduction in LOE benefit duration for workers assessed in the new model (hazard ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.23-1.43). CONCLUSIONS: The probability of being off LOE benefits for workers assessed in the new program was 33% greater than for workers assessed in the prior program.

Evidence-based programs for schools: relationships between effect sizes and resource requirements.

Presumably, schools desiring larger effects from an empirically based program might be willing to allocate greater resources for the purchase and implementation of the intervention. However, while it may seem intuitive that more expensive programs generate greater change in student outcomes, there is currently a lack of evidence supporting such a relationship. In this study the authors address this gap in the literature by examining the critical relationship between resource requirements and effect sizes of 51 evidence-based programs that would influence school practitioners' choice of interventions. Through simple calculations of the range and mean resources for programs, analyses surprisingly found higher resource requirements for programs with the smallest effect sizes. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Home Environment and Home Social Behavior Data from the Elementary School Success Profile for Families.

The purpose of the current study was to test the factor structure and scale quality of data provided by caregivers about the home environment and child behavior at home using the Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) for Families. The ESSP for Families is one component of the ESSP, an online social-environmental assessment that also collects information from students and teachers. Confirmatory factor analyses with Mplus and weighted least squares means and variances adjusted estimation took into account the hierarchical nature and ordinal level of the data. The sample comprised caregivers of 692 third- through fifth-grade students from 13 elementary schools in four districts. A primary model and an alternative model were tested. Models were tested on a random calibration sample and validated with another sample. A nine-factor first-order solution demonstrated superior fit to the data. Scores from the nine scales also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability. Implications for practice and further research are presented.

A systematic review of evidence-based interventions for students with challenging behaviors in school settings.

The author's systematic review of 2,294 articles from 10 journals in the fields of education, special education, school social work, school psychology, and school counseling identified 42 articles meeting search criteria of addressing evidence-based interventions for students with challenging behaviors in school settings. Interventions were considered evidence-based if they were (a) manualized or structured to facilitate replication; (b) evaluated with an experimental design; and (c) demonstrated to be effective. Current practices available to address students who require evidence-based interventions for challenging behaviors are summarized. Suggestions for intervention development to address the needs of students with difficult behaviors are offered.

Baseline repeated measures from controlled human exposure studies: associations between ambient air pollution exposure and the systemic inflammatory biomarkers IL-6 and fibrinogen.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic inflammation may be one of the mechanisms mediating the association between ambient air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen are biomarkers of systemic inflammation that are independent risk factors for cardio-vascular disease. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between ambient air pollution and systemic inflammation using baseline measurements of IL-6 and fibrinogen from controlled human exposure studies. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis we used repeated-measures data in 45 nonsmoking subjects. Hourly and daily moving averages were calculated for ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter