Examining area- and individual-level differences in suicide ideation severity and suicide attempt among youth.

Youth suicide is a pressing problem and suicide rates are not equally distributed across geographic areas or socioeconomic status (SES). Death by suicide is often preceded factors including hopelessness and suicide ideation, planning, and attempt. The current study examined area- and individual-level differences in suicide ideation severity and suicide attempt in a state-representative sample of youth from 2019 (N = 78,740) and 2021 (N = 61,396). Youth from higher SES and rural areas showed lower suicide ideation severity and odds of suicide attempt. After including individual-level covariates, SES differences in ideation severity and suicide attempt persisted for 2019 but not 2021. Rural differences for ideation severity persisted across years but not for suicide attempt. Further research on geographic variation in suicide risk is needed.

Attachment to Peers and School: Longitudinal Moderators of the Relation Between Caregiver Psychological Distress and Adolescent Hopelessness.

Research has yet to determine how relationships outside of the family system may buffer negative outcomes associated with hopelessness among racial minority youth. In a sample of Black American youth (N = 512; 49% females) and their parents or caregivers, this study used longitudinal growth models to explore whether youth relationships (attachment to peers and attachment to school) moderated the association between caregiver distress (depressive symptoms and traumatic stress), and youth hopelessness. Adolescents' gender was examined to determine if there were gender differences present in these associations. Four linear growth models showed a significant change in levels of hopelessness over time for youth and a significant positive relation between caregiver distress and youth level of hopelessness. Attachment to peers and attachment to school did not equally moderate the relation between caregiver psychological distress and youth hopelessness. The type of caregiver distress had a differential effect on youth hopelessness in the context of the moderation models and based on gender. The type of caregiver distress had a differential effect on youth hopelessness in the context of the moderation models and based on gender. Implications for the importance of non-familial attachments among Black American youth with distressed parents are discussed.

Traumatic Stress Among Seriously Delinquent Youth: Considering the Consequences of Neighborhood Circumstance.

Myriad factors have been found to have an impact on delinquent behavior and traumatic stress. This study proposes a model that tests the relationship between common predictors of delinquency (neighborhood condition, antisocial peer socialization, and exposure to violence) with traumatic stress. Serial mediation was used to test the relationships between these predictors and traumatic stress. Results indicate the mediation effect between neighborhood conditions and traumatic stress significantly reduces the total effect. Implications for traumatic stress in the context of delinquent behavior are discussed.

A Trauma-Informed Workshop Targeting the Attitudes of Mental Health Providers in a Rural, Racially Diverse Community Bordering Tribal lands.

Purpose: This study examines a three-day trauma informed workshop with 32 mental health providers in a rural community that borders an American Indian reservation to determine if there is an association with positive trauma-informed care (TIC) attitudes. Methods: Thirty-two workshop participants were invited to take the Attitudes Related to Trauma Informed Care (ARTIC-45) scale pre-workshop, post-, and six months- after the workshop. Results were analyzed at the group-level using t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for subscales that were not normally distributed. Results: Pre- to Post- (Time 1) findings reveal statistically significant positive changes in all ARTIC subscales. However, post-workshop to six months follow-up (Time 2) four subscales showed statistically significant decreases. This seems to be an indication that these trauma-informed attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs had gotten worse with time. There were three subscales without significant change. Conclusion: The findings should be interpreted with caution but point to plausible implications related to the decline in trauma-informed attitudes such as, lack of ongoing training following the workshop, limitations in workforce and resources within the rural community, unaddressed implicit bias, and needing more organizational leadership buy-in and resources.

Academic Achievement After Violence Exposure: The Indirect Effects of School Attachment and Motivation to Succeed.

Disparities in educational outcomes for students living in communities burdened with high rates of violence are striking as they are at an increased risk for misbehavior, low GPA, poor school attendance, and decreased standardized test scores. However, limited research identifies the role that schools play in exacerbating exposure to violence to inform changes that aid in mitigating violence exposure. As such, this study utilizes the Pathways to Desistance Study to explore the mediating roles of school attachment and motivation to succeed on students' academic outcomes after exposure to community violence. Using a serial mediation model, findings indicate that school attachment and motivation to succeed mediate the relationship between exposure to violence and grades. Implications for adapting school programs and policies as well as providing teacher training to increase school attachment and motivation are discussed.

Older adult inmates: the challenge for social work.

Older adult inmates have grown both in proportion and in number due to the confluence of a number offactors. This aging of the prison population has created a host of policy and practice issues that encompass justice considerations, cost containment issues, and biopsychosocial care needs. The older prisoner's physical, social, and psychological needs are complex and necessitate gerontologically based service delivery systems. The intent of this article is to help in the preparation of social work practitioners who can engage in older adult prison advocacy work by familiarizing them with a review of pertinent literature. Topics discussed include the following: the characteristics of older adult inmates, the special needs of older offenders and accompanying service delivery issues, and the use of selective decarceration as one strategy for addressing the problem of prison overcrowding. The authors conclude the article with a summary of key challenges social workers face in assisting this population.