Ontological Adaptation in Transition to Adulthood: A Theoretical Framework for Integrating Phenomenology and Neuroscience in Psychosis Research.

ABSTRACT: In this theoretical review, the neurodevelopmental model of psychotic disorders is considered within the framework of ontological development, referring to the individual-level construction of a sense of reality regarding identity and worldview. Following Erikson's theory of development, the challenge of forging a personal and social identity is a developmental process typical of late adolescence and early adulthood. Accompanying this process is a developmentally normal increase in exploratory and risk-taking behavior, which sometimes includes challenging and defying cultural norms. Although many aspects of ontological adaptation are developmentally appropriate, we argue that psychopathology such as psychosis can be rooted in an abnormal deviation of this process, in which aberrant salience accelerates the typical drive to develop a meaningful sense of identity, leading to delusion formation. By placing psychosis onset within a broader context of normal development, this model offers a humanistic approach for understanding experiences of new onset of psychotic disorders.

Impact of a School-Based, Multi-Tiered Emotional and Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention on School Safety and Discipline.

Schools across the United States are struggling with how to formulate comprehensive and effective programs to address the mental health needs of students and to promote school safety. This study, funded as part of the National Institute of Justice Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, employed a randomized controlled study design to evaluate the impact of a multi-component package of crisis prevention and response interventions on school safety and discipline outcomes, including suspensions, office discipline referrals, bullying reports, juvenile justice referrals, threat assessments, and follow-up procedures. Forty schools participated, all in a culturally diverse Mid-Atlantic, US school system spanning urban, suburban, and rural areas. The Emotional and Behavioral Health-Crisis Response and Prevention (EBH-CRP) intervention is a comprehensive training, organizational, and support protocol for school and community stakeholders aimed at increasing competence in preventing and responding to student EBH crises using multiple evidence-informed strategies that address emotional and behavioral health concerns across the continuum of supports. Results indicate that the EBH-CRP intervention had a significant positive effect on suspensions, office discipline referrals, and juvenile justice referrals for secondary schools. In addition, the intervention had positive effects on the number of bullying reports overall, with a particularly strong impact on primary schools. The intervention also had positive effects in maintaining more use of threat assessment and follow-up procedures. Although the intervention had a significant positive effect on secondary school-level suspensions, there was no impact on racial/ethnic disproportionality rates for this outcome. Implications for school safety prevention are discussed.

Outcomes and Processes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program: STEM PhD Completion, Sense of Community, Perceived Program Benefit, Science Identity, and Research Self-Efficacy.

Previous research has shown that the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is an effective intervention for high-achieving underrepresented minority (URM) students; African-American Meyerhoff students are significantly more likely to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PhD programs than comparison students. The first of two studies in this report extends the prior research by examining levels of PhD completion for Meyerhoff (N = 479) versus comparison sample (N = 249) students among the first 16 cohorts. Entering African-American Meyerhoff students were 4.8 times more likely to complete STEM PhDs than comparison sample students. To enhance understanding of potential mechanisms of influence, the second study used data from the 22nd (Fall 2010) to 25th (Fall 2013) cohorts (N = 109) to test the hypothesis that perceived program benefit at the end of freshman year would mediate the relationship between sense of community at the end of Summer Bridge and science identity and research self-efficacy at the end of sophomore year. Study 2 results indicated that perceived program benefit fully mediated the relationship between sense of community and both criterion measures. The findings underscore the potential of comprehensive STEM intervention programs to enhance PhD completion, and suggest mechanisms of influence.