Campylobacter jejuni Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters in Rhode Island, 2021.

Oysters and other shellfish are not a food that is commonly highlighted as high risk for Campylobacter contamination. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) conducted a multiagency investigation of a Campylobacter jejuni outbreak that was linked to the consumption of raw oysters; the first such outbreak was detected in Rhode Island. The environmental investigation identified birds as the likely source of contamination of the aquacultured oysters. As a result of this outbreak response, several investigative processes and best practice recommendations are offered. 1) RIDOH will be including exposure to raw shellfish as a question on their case report forms to better identify future oyster-related Campylobacter clusters. 2) It is important that shellfish aquaculture farms be aware of the risks of using floating gear to hold oyster cages and of the importance of using bird abatement to keep birds off floating aquaculture gear to prevent contamination of oysters from bird feces. 3) It should be recognized that fecal coliform water samples collected near an oyster aquaculture farm may not act as an adequate indicator for the presence of Campylobacter. 4) For the first time, Rhode Island has developed guidelines for the closure and reopening of oyster harvest areas due to contamination with Campylobacter. It is hoped that increased awareness and mitigation of the described risk factors will help prevent future similar outbreaks of illness.

The Milwaukee Youth Belongingness Scale (MYBS): Development and validation of the scale utilizing item response theory.

The examination of belonging in schools, connecting school belonging to a plethora of academic and psychosocial outcomes, has been well established in the literature. Researchers have measured school belonging most frequently with the Psychological Sense of School Membership, but its psychometric properties have been called into question by several researchers. Further, the scale measures 1 subset of belonging (i.e., school), leaving out powerful belonging connections in other areas of a student's life, namely peers and family. The current study examines the development and validation of the Milwaukee Youth Belongingness Scale. This process was examined by utilizing item response theory and a secondary analysis confirming the factor structure and the validation of the scale by comparing it to other constructs. The results confirm a 9-item scale that involves a total scale score and 3 factors (School, Peers, Family). Implications for mental health professionals and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Does youth psychotherapy improve academically related outcomes? A meta-analysis.

To better understand the impact of psychotherapy on youth academic performance, the authors located and examined 83 studies of youth psychotherapy that contained 102 treatment comparisons. Results revealed a d = 0.46 overall effect size, with a d = 0.50 effect size for mental health outcomes, and a d = 0.38 effect size for academically related outcomes. Academically related outcomes were further categorized into teacher-rated classroom behavior (d = 0.26), academic achievement (d = 0.36), environmentally related outcomes (d = 0.26), and self-reported academically related outcomes (d = 0.59). Each of these effect sizes differed significantly from zero, and the 4 academically related categories were homogeneous. Participant racial and ethnic diversity and age were explored as moderators. The results point to psychotherapy benefiting student academics, regardless of age. Ethnically diverse participant groups in the studies fared better academically than did nondiverse groups. Implications discussed include counseling psychologists maintaining a holistic view of youth and of working more closely with educators.