Trauma is only part of the story: Strengths moderate the relationship between trauma and needs for older youth in foster care.

INTRODUCTION: Many youth in foster care endure traumatic experiences (TE) that can lead to lasting negative outcomes. However, the identification of strengths may mitigate the impact of TE. METHODS: This study examines the frequency and distribution of identified strengths; whether strengths moderate the association between TE and various outcomes; and whether certain strengths have a larger moderation effect on the association between TE and life domain functioning. Administrative and clinical data, including the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment, were examined for 3324 transition age youth and emerging adults in out-of-home foster care in the United States. Participants were males and females between 14.5 and 21 years old. Pearson's chi-square tests of association were conducted to determine whether identification of strengths varied significantly by sex or race/ethnicity. Negative binomial regressions were used to determine whether strengths modified the association between TE and needs domains. RESULTS: Of 11 measured strengths, 56% of youth had 7 or more strengths identified as centerpiece strengths, and 20% had all 11. No significant differences in identification of strengths were found across sex or race/ethnicity. All strengths significantly moderated the association of TE and outcomes across CANS domains tested. While cumulative strengths had the largest overall moderation effects, identification of education setting, coping and savoring skills, and interpersonal strengths as centerpiece strengths had the largest moderation effect among specific strengths. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest assessing, identifying, and bolstering strengths may help to promote well-being after trauma exposure.

Understanding trauma experiences and needs through a comprehensive assessment of transition age youth in child welfare.

BACKGROUND: In the context of child welfare, Transition Age Youth (TAY) have high rates of trauma experiences (TEs) and are more likely to exhibit negative outcomes as they transition into adulthood. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the frequency and distribution of TEs among TAY in child welfare, as a whole and across sex and race/ethnicity. This study also examines the relationship between TEs and Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) needs. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants included 3324 TAY (14.5 to 21-year-olds) who were under the care of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) and in out-of-home care for at least one year. METHODS: The CANS was the primary measure for this study. Administrative and clinical data were examined for youth who met the identified criteria. Pearson's chi-square tests of association were conducted to determine differences in TEs across race/ethnicity and sex. Negative binomial regressions were used to determine the association between TEs and needs. RESULTS: Most TAY had at least one TE (91%) and the majority had four or more TEs (52%). Significant differences occurred in relation to sex and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, TEs were significantly associated with needs across all CANS domains examined (e.g., behavioral/emotional needs, life domain functioning). CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the few empirical studies to examine TEs and related functional, behavioral, and emotional needs of TAY in child welfare. Overall, findings suggest a need for improving trauma-informed approaches and interventions that serve TAY.

Advocating for the Child: The Role of Pediatric Psychology for Children With Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL ± P) undergo several surgical procedures from birth to adulthood to achieve functional, aesthetic, and psychosocial normalcy. Although children with CL ± P have normal physical development apart from their CL ± P, they face increased risk for emotional, social, behavioral, and academic concerns. In this article, we discuss how the psychology team helps support children with CL ± P and their families. We also explore how the child's overall functioning is evaluated through interview and assessment tools. Throughout, we validate the need for specialized considerations related to having a CL ± P such as increased risk for peer victimization as well as readiness for medical and surgical procedures. By examining the psychology team's role across a child's lifespan, we hope to show that our goal is to advocate for the child and to encompass the child's voice throughout the treatment process.

Online Social Support for Young People: Does It Recapitulate In-person Social Support; Can It Help?

As social media websites have grown in popularity, public concern about online victimization has grown as well; however, much less attention has focused on the possible beneficial effects of online social networks. If theory and research about in-person social networks pertain, then online social relationships may represent an important modern source of or vehicle for support. In a study of 231 undergraduates, three major findings emerged: (1) for people with weaker in-person social support, social media sites provide a source of social support that is less redundant of the social support they receive in person; (2) in ways that were not redundant of each other, both online and in-person social support were associated with lower levels of depression-related thoughts and feelings, and (3) the beneficial effects of online social support (like in-person social support) offset some of the adverse effects of peer victimization. The study suggests that augmenting social relations via strategic use of social media can enhance young people's social support systems in beneficial ways.

Longitudinal and Incremental Relation of Cybervictimization to Negative Self-Cognitions and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adolescents.

Adolescents are among the most frequent users of social media websites, raising concern about the dangers of cyber bullying or cybervictimization (CV). A 12-month longitudinal study examined the unique, prospective relation of CV to the development of negative self-cognitions and depressive symptoms in a community sample of 827 children and young adolescents (ages 8-13; 55.1 % female) from the southeastern United States. Over and above conventional types of peer victimization, CV significantly predicted changes in self-referential negative cognitions, victimization-related cognitive reactions, and depressive symptoms, even after controlling for baseline levels of the dependent variables. Results also showed that CV was significantly less stable than other forms of victimization and tended to increase slightly with time. The study highlights the unique effects of CV and has implications for research and practice.

Peer Victimization and Harsh Parenting Predict Cognitive Diatheses for Depression in Children and Adolescents.

The current study examined peer victimization and harsh parenting as longitudinal predictors of broadband and narrowband cognitions associated with the etiology of depression in children and adolescents. The sample consisted of 214 elementary and middle school students. At the start of the study, their average age was 12.2 years (SD = 1.0). The sex ratio was 112 girls to 102 boys. The sample was ethnically diverse (58.9% Caucasian, 34.1% African American, 10.7% Hispanic, 3.3% Asian, and 5.2% other). Children and their parents completed measures of peer victimization and harsh parenting. At two waves 1 year apart, children also completed questionnaire measures of negative and positive broadband cognitive style (e.g., personal failure, global self-worth) and narrowband self-perceptions (e.g., perceived social threat, social acceptance). Every Wave 2 cognitive variable was predicted by peer victimization or harsh parenting or both, even after controlling for a Wave 1 measure of the same cognitive variable. Peer victimization more consistently predicted narrowband social/interpersonal cognitions, whereas harsh parenting more consistently predicted broadband positive and negative cognitions. Furthermore, controlling for positive and negative self-cognitions eliminated a statistically significant effect of harsh parenting and peer victimization on depressive symptoms. Support emerged for the social learning of negative self-cognitions. Support also emerged for negative self-cognitions as a mediator of depressive symptoms. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.