Rumination mediates associations between microaggressions and sleep quality in Black Americans: the toll of racial microstressors.

Disparities in health outcomes between Black and White Americans are well-documented, including sleep quality, and disparities in sleep may lead to disparities in health over the life course. A meta-model indicates that cognitive processes may underly the connection between race and poor sleep quality, and ultimately, health disparities. That is, there are race-specific stressors that disproportionately affect Black Americans, which are associated with poor health through biological, cognitive, and behavioral mechanisms (e.g., sleep). Among these race-specific stressors is discrimination, which has been linked to poor sleep quality, and there is a body of literature connecting perseverative cognition (e.g., rumination and worry or vigilance) to poor sleep. Microaggressions, a more subtle but pervasive form of discrimination, are another race-specific stressor. Although less research has considered the connection of microaggressions to perseverative cognition, there are some studies linking microaggressions to health outcomes and sleep. Therefore, using a cross-sectional survey, we tested the following hypotheses: racism-related vigilance and rumination would mediate the relationship between discrimination and poor sleep as well as between microaggressions and poor sleep among Black Americans (N = 223; mean age = 35.77 years, 53.8% men, 86% employed, 66.8% with college degree or higher education). Results of seven parallel mediation models showed that neither rumination nor racism-related vigilance mediated a relationship between discrimination and poor sleep quality. However, rumination partially mediated relationships between the six microaggression sub-scales and poor sleep quality: there were significant indirect effects for Foreigner/Not Belonging (ß = .13, SE = 0.03, 95% CI 0.08, 0.20), Criminality (ß = .11, SE = 0.03, 95% CI 0.05, 0.17), Sexualization (ß = .10, SE = 0.03, 95% CI 0.05, 0.17), Low-Achieving/Undesirable (ß = .10, SE = 0.03, 95% CI 0.05, 0.15), Invisibility (ß = .15, SE = 0.04, 95% CI 0.08, 0.23), and Environmental Invalidations (ß = .15, SE = 0.04, 95% CI 0.08, 0.23). Overall, these findings indicate support for the meta-model, demonstrating a specific pathway from racial microstressors to poor sleep quality. Furthermore, these results suggest the importance of developing clinical and community approaches to address the impact of microaggressions on Black Americans' sleep quality.

Youth, caregiver and healthcare professional perspectives on planning the implementation of a trauma-informed care programme: A qualitative study.

AIMS: To explore youth, caregiver and staff perspectives on their vision of trauma-informed care, and to identify and understand potential considerations for the implementation of a trauma-informed care programme in an inpatient mental health unit within a paediatric hospital. DESIGN AND METHODS: We applied the Interpretive Description approach, guided by complexity theory and the Implementation Roadmap, and used Applied Thematic Analysis methods. FINDINGS: Twenty-five individuals participated in individual or group interviews between March and June 2022, including 21 healthcare professionals, 3 youth and 1 caregiver. We identified two overarching themes. The first theme, 'Understanding and addressing the underlying reasons for distress', related to participants' understanding and vision of TIC in the current setting comprising: (a) 'Participants' understanding of TIC'; (b) 'Trauma screening and trauma processing within TIC'; (c) 'Taking "a more individualized approach"'; (d) 'Unit programming'; and (e) "Connecting to the community". The second theme, 'Factors that support or limit successful TIC implementation' comprises: (a) 'The need for a broad "cultural shift"'; (b) 'The physical environment on the unit'; and (c) 'Factors that may limit successful implementation'. CONCLUSION: We identified five key domains to consider within trauma-informed care implementation: (a) the centrality of engagement with youth, caregivers and staff in trauma-informed care delivery and implementation, (b) trauma-informed care core programme components, (c) factors that may support or limit success in implementing trauma-informed care within the mental health unit and (d) hospital-wide and (e) the importance of intersectoral collaboration (partnering with external organizations and sectors). IMPACT: When implementing TIC, there is an ongoing need to increase clarity regarding TIC interventions and implementation initiatives. Youth, caregiver and healthcare professional participants shared considerations important for planning the delivery and implementation of trauma-informed care in their setting. We identified five key domains to consider within trauma-informed care implementation: (a) the centrality of relational engagement, (b) trauma-informed care programme components, (c) factors that may support or limit successful implementation of trauma-informed care within the mental health unit and (d) hospital-wide and (e) the importance of intersectoral collaboration. Organizations wishing to implement trauma-informed care should consider ongoing engagement with all relevant knowledge user groups throughout the process. REPORTING METHOD: Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The local hospital research institute's Patient and Family Advisory Committee reviewed the draft study methods and provided feedback.

Engagement in a Preventive Intervention for Preadolescent Children in Foster Care: Considerations for Intervention Design.

Engagement in mental health-focused preventive interventions is understudied. Demographic, child, and system-level predictors of engagement were explored in a study with children in foster care (N = 222, Mage = 10.3) who participated in a 30-week intervention. Attendance and engagement in mentor visits and skills groups were rated weekly. Only 4 of 21 predictors showed bivariate associations with attendance/engagement: child sex, IQ, behavior problems, and trauma symptoms. SEM models with these three variables and a measure of adverse childhood experience (ACEs), were used to develop a model of engagement. Males had poorer mentor visit and group engagement. Group attendance was positively associated with trauma symptoms and negatively associated with ACEs. Group engagement was associated with higher IQ and fewer behavior problems. A contextually-sensitive intervention can result in high engagement for a vulnerable and diverse population, yet a few child factors still impacted engagement, and when identified could be ameliorated.Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifiers: NCT00809315 & NCT00810056.

Disseminating early interventions for disaster mental health response using the ECHO model.

Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO)-based telementoring was evaluated for disseminating early disaster interventions, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR), to school professionals throughout rural, disaster-affected communities further affected by COVID-19. PFA and SPR complemented their Multitiered System of Support: PFA complemented tier 1 (universal) and SPR tier 2 (targeted) prevention. We evaluated the outcomes of a pretraining webinar (164 participants, January 2021) and four-part PFA training (84 participants, June 2021) and SPR training (59 participants, July 2021) across five levels of Moore's continuing medical education evaluation framework: (1) participation, (2) satisfaction, (3) learning, (4) competence, and (5) performance, using pre-, post-, and 1-month follow-up surveys. Positive training outcomes were observed across all five levels, with high participation and satisfaction throughout, and high use at the 1-month follow-up. ECHO-based telementoring may successfully engage and train community providers in these underused early disaster response models. Recommendations regarding training format and using evaluation to improve training are provided.

Academic Functioning of Youth in Foster Care: The Influence of Unique Sources of Social Support.

Youth in foster care often experience more difficulty in school compared to their non-foster care peers. Difficulties exist across domains of academic functioning, including both performance (e.g., low grades) and behavioral health (e.g., high externalizing concerns) in school. One factor that has shown to be associated with positive academic functioning in the general population but remains to be comprehensively examined among youth in foster care is social support. This includes examining specific sources of support for youth in foster care and taking into consideration the context of the frequent placement disruptions many children in foster care experience. This study sought to determine which sources of social support are associated with academic functioning for youth in foster care by examining child-report of social support from parents, teachers, friends, and classmates in relation to school grades and teacher-reported behavioral health outcomes. Information on each source of social support was obtained from the self-report of 257 youth in foster care, and information on placement characteristics were obtained from child welfare casefiles. Teachers provided information on youth's behavioral health in school, and academic grades were obtained from school records. Results suggested that youth reported teacher social support, as compared to parent, friend, or classmate social support, was most influential for both performance and behavioral health in school. Findings highlight the need for additional research on the important role of teachers for promoting academic success amongst youth in foster care, as well as the importance of placement changes in relation to academic functioning.

The Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in Children Exposed to Disasters.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This paper reviews literature on the influence of disaster exposure on the intersection between physical and mental health in children, including risk and protective factors. We provide an update on recent studies and conclude with recommendations for future research. RECENT FINDINGS: The limited existing research on this topic suggests that disasters can influence short and long-term physical and mental health of children. Although few studies explore both mental and physical health in the same study, studies that assess both show that they co-occur. Pre-existing conditions, severity of disaster exposure, socioeconomic status, and gender may influence the relation between disaster exposure and physical and mental health. Despite the growing number of studies exploring mental and physical health symptoms together in children post-disaster, a dearth of research examines this relationship in terms of nuances by age and developmental stage, longitudinal mechanisms, and risk and protective factors.

Beyond the ACE score: Examining relationships between timing of developmental adversity, relational health and developmental outcomes in children.

BACKGROUND: The association between developmental adversity and children's functioning is complex, particularly given the multifaceted nature of adverse experiences. The association between the timing of experience and outcomes is underresearched and clinically under-appreciated. We examine how the timing of both adverse (including potentially traumatic) events and relational poverty are associated with developmental outcomes. METHOD: Clinicians using the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), an approach to clinical problem solving, reported on the timing of children's developmental experiences, their degree of current relational health, and current functioning in key brain-mediated domains (N = 3523 6- to 13-year-old children). A regularized hierarchical model produced stable and generalizable estimates regarding associations between the timing of experiences across four developmental periods: Perinatal (0-2 mos), Infancy (2-12 mos), Early Childhood (13 mos to 4 years), and Childhood (4 to 11 years) and current functioning. RESULTS: Perinatal developmental experiences were more strongly associated with compromised current functioning than such experiences occurring during other periods. Perinatal relational poverty was a stronger predictor than perinatal adversity. During subsequent developmental periods, the influence of relational poverty diminished, while the influence of adversity remained strong throughout early childhood. Current relational health, however, was the strongest predictor of functioning. CONCLUSION: Findings expand the understanding of the association between the timing of adversity and relationally impoverished experiences and children's functioning. Although early life experiences are significantly impactful, relationally enriched environments may buffer these effects.

Do sleep problems mediate the link between adverse childhood experiences and delinquency in preadolescent children in foster care?

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with multiple mental and physical health problems. Yet, mechanisms by which ACEs confer risk for specific problems are largely unknown. Children in foster care typically have multiple ACEs and high rates of negative sequelae, including delinquent behaviors. Mechanisms explaining this link have not been explored in this population. Impaired sleep has been identified as a potential mechanism by which ACEs lead to delinquency in adolescents, because inadequate sleep may lead to poor executive function and cognitive control - known risk factors for delinquency. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 516 maltreated children in foster care, ages 9-11 years, and their caregivers regarding child exposure to ACEs, sleep problems, engagement in delinquent acts, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and current psychotropic medication use. ACEs data were also obtained from child welfare case records. RESULTS: After controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, placement type (residential, kin, foster), length of time in placement, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and current psychotropic medication use, sleep partially mediated the association between ACEs and delinquency. CONCLUSIONS: Although delinquency is likely multiply determined in this population, improving sleep may be one important strategy to reduce delinquency.

A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Natural Disasters on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Youth.

Although exposure to natural disasters can lead to diverse mental health (MH) outcomes in youth, most child disaster MH research has focused on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). To highlight the likelihood of other MH outcomes, we meta-analyzed studies that have examined other (non-PTSS) internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in youth exposed to natural disasters. We used PRISMA guidelines to systematically gather studies that have examined the association between natural disaster exposure and non-PTSS internalizing and/or externalizing problems in samples of children and adolescents. Analyses of random effects models of 62 studies examining non-PTSS internalizing problems and 26 studies examining externalizing problems showed exposure to natural disasters was significantly associated with non-PTSS internalizing, rmean = .18, k = 70, and externalizing problems, rmean = .08; k = 31, in youth. Moderator analyses revealed a stronger association between disaster exposure and non-PTSS internalizing problems in countries with a "medium" Human Development Index (HDI) ranking, r = .56, than in countries with "high," r = .15, and "very high," r = .16, HDI rankings. We also found a stronger association between disaster exposure and externalizing problems in countries with a medium HDI ranking, r = .54, versus high, r = .05, and very high, r = .04, HDI rankings, and based on parent, r = .16, compared to child, r = -.01, report. Results support the need for assessment of multiple postdisaster MH outcomes to inform comprehensive interventions. We also include a discussion of the state of the disaster MH research.

Positive Psychology and Disaster Mental Health: Strategies for Working with Children and Adolescents.

Positive psychology concepts and principles can be incorporated into preparedness, crisis response, and recovery phases of disaster mental health efforts to address the needs of children, adolescents, and families. This article articulates general developmental considerations for applying positive psychology in disaster mental health contexts and discusses how 5 essential elements of immediate and midterm mass trauma intervention identified by Hobfoll et al. (2007) may be infused in applications of positive psychology for children and adolescents. Specific strategies for working with children, adolescents, and their families in home, community, and school contexts are drawn in part from disaster mental health resources developed jointly by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, including the Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (Brymer et al., 2006), the Skills for Psychological Recovery Field Operations Guide (Berkowitz et al., 2010), and the Psychological First Aid for Schools Field Operations Manual (Brymer et al., 2012). Two case examples illustrate the use of positive psychology principles.

Mental Health Interventions for Children in Foster Care: A Systematic Review.

Children in foster care have high rates of adverse childhood experiences and are at risk for mental health problems. These problems can be difficult to ameliorate, creating a need for rigorous intervention research. Previous research suggests that intervening with children in foster care can be challenging for several reasons, including the severity and complexity of their mental health problems, and challenges engaging this often transitory population in mental health services. The goal of this article was to systematically review the intervention research that has been conducted with children in foster care, and to identify future research directions. This review was conducted on mental health interventions for children, ages 0 to 12, in foster care, using ERIC, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses Database, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Work Abstracts. It was restricted to interventions that are at least "possibly efficacious" (i.e., supported by evidence from at least one randomized controlled trial). Studies were evaluated for risk of bias. Ten interventions were identified, with diverse outcomes, including mental health and physiological. Six interventions were developed for children in foster care. Interventions not developed for children in foster care were typically adapted to the foster context. Most interventions have yet to be rigorously evaluated in community-based settings with children in foster care. Little research has been conducted on child and family engagement within these interventions, and there is a need for more research on moderators of intervention outcomes and subgroups that benefit most from these interventions. In addition, there is not consensus regarding how to adapt interventions to this population. Future research should focus on developing and testing more interventions with this population, rigorously evaluating their effectiveness in community-based settings, determining necessary adaptations, and identifying which interventions work best for whom.

Case file coding of child maltreatment: Methods, challenges, and innovations in a longitudinal project of youth in foster care.

State social service agency case files are a common mechanism for obtaining information about a child's maltreatment history, yet these documents are often challenging for researchers to access, and then to process in a manner consistent with the requirements of social science research designs. Specifically, accessing and navigating case files is an extensive undertaking, and a task that many researchers have had to maneuver with little guidance. Even after the files are in hand and the research questions and relevant variables have been clarified, case file information about a child's maltreatment exposure can be idiosyncratic, vague, inconsistent, and incomplete, making coding such information into useful variables for statistical analyses difficult. The Modified Maltreatment Classification System (MMCS) is a popular tool used to guide the process, and though comprehensive, this coding system cannot cover all idiosyncrasies found in case files. It is not clear from the literature how researchers implement this system while accounting for issues outside of the purview of the MMCS or that arise during MMCS use. Finally, a large yet reliable file coding team is essential to the process, however, the literature lacks training guidelines and methods for establishing reliability between coders. In an effort to move the field toward a common approach, the purpose of the present discussion is to detail the process used by one large-scale study of child maltreatment, the Studying Pathways to Adjustment and Resilience in Kids (SPARK) project, a longitudinal study of resilience in youth in foster care. The article addresses each phase of case file coding, from accessing case files, to identifying how to measure constructs of interest, to dealing with exceptions to the coding system, to coding variables reliably, to training large teams of coders and monitoring for fidelity. Implications for a comprehensive and efficient approach to case file coding are discussed.

Longitudinal Assessment of Self-Harm Statements of Youth in Foster Care: Rates, Reporters, and Related Factors.

Self-harm in youth is a risk factor related to mental health and future morbidity, yet, relatively little is known about the rates and course of self-harm in youth residing in foster care. This study examined self-harm talk in foster youth based on caregiver and child report for 135 children between the ages of 8- and 11-years old. Longitudinal data on course of self-harm talk from both youth and caregivers also are provided. Caregivers identified that 24% of youth participants had disclosed a desire to die or to hurt themselves. Youth self-report revealed that 21% of children indicated a desire for self-harm, and rates of self-harm from both reporters decreased over time. While overall rates were similar across reporters, findings show discrepancies between youth self-report and caregiver report within individuals. Also, caregivers for youth in residential facilities were more likely to report youth self-harm talk than caregivers from foster home settings.

Treatment Effects of Introducing the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics in a Norwegian Residential Treatment Facility for Children Aged 7-13.

This study investigates the impact of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) in child and adolescent psychiatric care, addressing a gap in current clinical methodologies that tend to focus on single problems rather than the interconnected nature of many real-life mental health issues. The study was conducted in a residential setting over an extended period, including children aged 7-13, to observe the effects of implementing NMT. The children presented with complex symptoms and multiple diagnoses. The methods incorporated the NMT approach, emphasizing individualized treatment plans based on each child's unique brain development, and aimed at addressing multiple, interconnected problems simultaneously. Results from multilevel model analyses of behavioral difficulties, measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), revealed substantial improvements in treatment effectiveness post-NMT implementation. Despite the limitations, such as a non-randomized participant selection and limited sample size, the findings strongly suggest that NMT enhances care effectiveness in real-world clinical settings, particularly for children with complex mental health issues. The study concludes that relationally oriented milieu therapy, and specifically the NMT approach, holds great promise for advancing pediatric psychiatric care, advocating for its broader application and further research to refine and substantiate its efficacy.

Trauma exposure and associated sleep problems in Black adolescent and young adult students attending an alternative high school.

OBJECTIVE: Given the dearth of literature examining the link between trauma exposure and sleep among youth and young adults of color, the current study examined the association between individual types of trauma exposure, accumulation within subtypes of trauma exposure, and overall cumulative trauma exposure with sleep problems in a sample of Black students attending an alternative high school. METHOD: Participants were recruited from an alternative high school in a large, southeastern city in the United States, of which all students qualify for free/reduced lunch. The sample included 101 students (53% female) ages 16-24 (M = 17.86 years, SD = 1.36) who identified as Black. RESULTS: Participants reported a high rate of trauma exposure (M = 6.03 unique traumatic experiences, SD = 2.63). Linear regression models showed that exposure to more overall cumulative trauma and to interpersonal loss was significantly associated with higher levels of insomnia symptoms. Threats to health were significantly related to daytime sleepiness. Other threats to safety were associated with restless legs syndrome symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescence and young adulthood are a time of complex sleep-related issues. Black youth and young adults have elevated risk of trauma exposure and sleep problems; therefore, targeted assessment and intervention are warranted. Clinicians and researchers addressing sleep in youth and young adults, and those working within alternative school settings, should also consider a trauma-informed lens to optimize outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluating skills for psychological recovery with gunshot injury survivors in a hospital-based early intervention program.

Gun violence is a serious public health problem that places surviving victims at increased risk for a variety of mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Recognizing that many gunshot injury survivors lack access to mental health care in the early aftermath of a shooting, there has been growing interest in the use of early, preventive mental health interventions to help prevent long-term mental health complications like PTSD as part of routine care for survivors in acute medical settings, where initial outreach to survivors may be more successful. This study evaluates clinical outcomes associated with one such early intervention-Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR)-provided to gunshot injury survivors as part of a hospital-based early intervention program embedded in a Level 1 trauma center in the Midwestern United States. Clinic data from 100 survivors (74.0% male, 78.0% Black/African American) who received SPR were included in the present study. Results suggest that receiving SPR in the early aftermath of a shooting is associated with statistically significant reductions in both PTSD, F(1, 26.77) = 22.49, p < .001, and depression, F(1, 29.99) = 6.49, p = .016, symptoms. Outcomes did not vary as a function of either PTSD risk status or intervention delivery method (i.e., in-person, telehealth). These findings support the effectiveness and acceptability of SPR as an early intervention for gunshot injury survivors when delivered as part of a hospital-based early intervention program. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Evaluation of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics with Adoptive Families in Tennessee.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated effectiveness of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) with adoptive families who received post adoption services in Tennessee. METHODS: Researchers obtained a sample of 552 families who received post adoption services in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Most families (77%) had adopted children through public child welfare services. A quasi-experimental design examined wellbeing outcomes for an NMT group (n = 319) versus a services-as-usual (SAU) group (n = 233) in intent-to-treat analyses. Then, the SAU group was contrasted to an NMT subgroup that had high adherence to the NMT model (n = 109) in an analysis of treatment-on-the-treated. RESULTS: Intent-to-treat models indicated no differences on outcomes between the NMT and SAU groups. However, the results of treatment-on-the-treated analyses showed slightly greater reduction on the Behavior Problems Index over time for the NMT with high adherence group as compared to SAU. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Adoptive families may face challenges that could be addressed through developmentally sensitive, trauma-informed services, such as NMT. The results of this study suggest that the NMT might benefit adoptive families if greater attention is paid to implementation adherence, or fidelity.

Mental health attitudes, norms, beliefs, and experiences with care among young Black men: A theory of planned behavior assessment.

OBJECTIVE: Young Black/African American men (YBM) are at greater risk for trauma and related mental health concerns compared to young non-Hispanic White men but are less likely to receive mental health care when needed. The current study used a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-guided framework to qualitatively explore beliefs, norms, and intentions related to seeking mental health screening and linkage to care (LTC) among YBM exposed to trauma. METHOD: Participants (N = 55, Mage = 23 years) were YBM aged 18-30 recruited from urban community settings in Kansas City, MO, between October 2018 and April 2019 for participation in focus groups. RESULTS: Participants discussed lived experiences with trauma and mental health care, plus salient behavioral beliefs-both positive and negative. Key normative referents were significant others and family members, and participants endorsed greater motivation to seek care with their support. Control beliefs ranged from individual and interpersonal facilitators and barriers to more systemic factors (e.g., availability of providers, cost, lack of access, disparities in incarceration). CONCLUSIONS: Tailored interventions are needed to promote engagement in mental health services among YBM, with strategies that recognize cultural contexts and ongoing needs for general well-being. Recommendations for providers and systems are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Trauma-Informed Care Interventions Used in Pediatric Inpatient or Residential Treatment Mental Health Settings and Strategies to Implement Them: A Scoping Review.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to care emerging in research and in practice that involves addressing the needs of individuals with histories of trauma. The aim of this scoping review was to examine the current literature relating to TIC interventions used in pediatric mental health inpatient and residential settings. We sought to answer the following two research questions: (a) What are the TIC interventions used in pediatric inpatient and residential treatment mental healthcare settings and what are their components? and (b) What are the implementation goals and strategies used with these TIC interventions? We conducted this scoping review according to JBI (formerly Joanna Briggs Institute) methodology for scoping reviews. We included any primary study describing a TIC intervention that was implemented at a specific site which identified and described implementation strategies used. Of 1,571 identified citations and 54 full-text articles located by handsearching, 49 met the eligibility criteria and were included, representing 21 distinct TIC interventions. We present the reported aim, ingredients, mechanism, and delivery (AIMD) of TIC interventions as well as the implementation goals and strategies used, which varied in detail, ranging from very little information to more detailed descriptions. In the context of these findings, we emphasize the complexity of TIC and of TIC interventions, and the importance of identifying and clearly reporting TIC intervention goals, intervention details, and implementation strategies. We suggest applying intervention frameworks or reporting guidelines to support clear and comprehensive reporting, which would better facilitate replication and synthesis of published TIC interventions.

Strategies for Longitudinal Research with Youth in Foster Care: A Demonstration of Methods, Barriers, and Innovations.

Longitudinal research on youth in foster care is important, but often challenging to accomplish. To assist the field, a thorough description of the development of the SPARK (Studying Pathways to Adjustment and Resilience in Kids) project, a longitudinal research project on the mechanisms of resilience for foster youth and their caregivers, is presented. Authors explain the difficult task for researchers in accessing youth in foster care and suggest strategies for success. Recruitment approaches for foster youth and their families are also provided along with examples of effective techniques. Data collection concerns are discussed, and the authors provide recommendations for researchers to consider when asking youth sensitive questions. Finally, data collection on academic information from teachers and how the SPARK project works with the academic community to gain information on school functioning for youth in the project is described. Suggestions for methodology utilized in future research along with examples of innovative adjustments to typical research procedures are provided as guidance for how research on maltreated youth can be conducted.