Juvenile probation officers delivering an intervention for substance use significantly reduces adolescents' risky sexual behaviours.

BACKGROUND: Risky sexual behaviour (RSB) is a serious public health problem for adolescents. We examined whether a contingency management intervention implemented by juvenile probation officers (JPOs) targeting substance use also impacted RSB. METHODS: A total of 218 adolescents on probation were randomly assigned to contingency management or to probation as usual. RESULTS: The substance use intervention delivered by JPOs reduced rates of RSB over time (ß =-0.32, P =0.041 at 6months; ß =-0.32, P =0.036 at 9months). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents receiving a substance use intervention from JPOs demonstrated reduced/prevented RSB. Interventions targeting single risk behaviours in juvenile probation populations should measure changes in other risk behaviours . Under-resourced communities lacking clinicians might consider JPOs delivering interventions.

Confronting misconceptions of public housing communities: A qualitative report of community-informed narratives by community members and partners.

Objectives were (a) to understand a community-informed narrative, as told by community members (CMs) and community partners (CPs), about the strengths, experiences, and perspectives of public housing communities; and (b) to analyze similarities and differences between CMs' and CPs' experiences and perspectives. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 CMs of public housing (ages 26-58, 100% female caregivers, 96% Black, 4% multiethnic) and 43 CPs (ages 28-78, 67.4% female, 81.4% Black and African American). Four themes were derived from the CM and CP interviews: (1) counters to public narratives, (2) disinvestment begets disinvestment, (3) community conditions should be better, and (4) community cohesion and connection. Findings from this study present community-centered narratives and experiences that were counter to stereotyped public narratives and could influence public perceptions and behavior to inform policy changes related to improving living conditions and supporting CMs in public and low-income housing communities.

Identifying Protective Factors That Mitigate Relations Between Experiences with Violence and Gun Carriage for Black Young Adults Living in Economically Marginalized Urban Communities.

Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black young adults living in economically marginalized urban communities and results in increased risk for injury and death. This study identifies protective factors across the ecological model for Black young adults experiencing peer-based physical and relational aggression and victimization that can mitigate the likelihood of gun carriage. The sample included 141 Black young adults living in economically marginalized communities who had experienced violence. Regression and moderation analyses indicated (1) peer-based physical and relational aggression and victimization negatively associated with gun carriage, and (2) personal assets, positive outlook, student status, and neighborhood attachment interacted with peer-based violent experiences and had protective associations with gun carriage. Findings from this study indicate a need for tailored prevention, policy efforts in order to support Black young adults and decrease gun carriage.

Ecological promotive and protective factors deterring gun carriage for young adults living in communities with high rates of community violence.

This study identified promotive and protective factors that lessened the likelihood of handgun carriage in a sample of 141 predominantly Black (97%) young adults (ages 18-22) living in high burden communities experiencing elevated rates of violence. Participants completed surveys assessing overall risk and protective factors for violence across ecological contexts (e.g., individual/peer, family, school, and community). A series of regression and moderation analyses were conducted to ascertain direct (promotive) and indirect (protective) relations between factors across the ecological model and likelihood of gun carriage. Results indicated that (1) consistent with previous studies, both witnessing violence and violence victimization were significant risk factors for handgun carriage, (2) ethnic identity was a significant promotive factor related to a lower likelihood of handgun carriage, and (3) lack of family conflict, student status, and community assets were significant protective factors where higher levels of these factors attenuated the relation between exposure to community violence and likelihood of gun carriage. This is one of the first strengths-based studies examining factors that may mitigate the likelihood of gun carriage for young adults in high risk contexts. Our findings suggest that gun violence prevention efforts for high burden communities should support young adults by strengthening factors across the ecological model (e.g., individual, family, school, and community).

Implications of intergenerational trauma: Associations between caregiver ACEs and child internalizing symptoms in an urban African American sample.

OBJECTIVE: The link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative mental health outcomes is well established. However, the intergenerational link between caregiver ACE history and their child's psychosocial outcomes is understudied, particularly within minoritized groups. This study aimed to delineate relations between caregiver ACE exposure and their child's depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms by proposing a serial mediation of caregiver PTSD, family management problems, and child ACEs. METHOD: Two hundred seventy-three caregiver (Mage = 39.27; 88% female) and adolescent (Mage = 14.26; 57% female) dyads from low-income urban communities completed electronic questionnaires measuring PTSD symptoms and ACEs. Child participants also completed a measure of depression and family management problems. Regression and serial mediation analyses were conducted to examine associations among these variables. RESULTS: Caregiver ACEs were significantly associated with their child's PTSD symptoms but were not related to their child's depression scores. Serial mediation analyses indicated that child ACEs mediated the relation between caregiver ACEs and their child's PTSD symptoms. Evidence for an overall indirect effect via caregiver PTSD, family management problems, and child ACEs was not found. No indirect effects between caregiver ACEs and child depression were found. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate that higher levels of caregiver ACE exposure are associated with their child's PTSD symptoms in a sample of African American dyads living in urban, high-burden communities. These results suggest a need for ACE screening during medical visits and provides guidance for future clinical interventions. The distinct intergenerational consequences for caregivers with ACEs and their children's psychosocial wellbeing warrant further study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).