Interpersonal process features of collaboration between probation and behavioral health practitioners.

This study sought to identify and conceptualize the central interpersonal process features that comprise good collaboration between behavioral health practitioners (BHPs) and probation officers (POs). Eighteen POs and 21 BHPs from geographically adjacent jurisdictions in a Midwestern state each participated in one of six focus groups. Researchers systematically coded focus group transcripts for interpersonal collaborative themes using both inductive and deductive strategies. Seven core themes-shared values and beliefs, communication and information sharing, knowledge of the other, trust, respect, team-based decision making, and equitable contribution-were identified and coded for importance, as indexed by frequency, latent tone, and group consensus. An initial working operational definition of these constructs, based on practitioners' dialogue, is also provided. This study is one of the first to provide BHPs and POs who work with justice-involved people with prescriptive guidance about interpersonal actions and approaches that will best serve their professional collaborative efforts. Future research should examine whether these constructs hold across other samples and contexts and work to fully operationalize and measure these constructs and their importance for affecting various outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Persistent Paternalism: The Instantiation of Gendered Attributions in the System Response to Girls.

Prior research suggests that the juvenile legal system does too little to address the sources and underlying reasons for girls' court referrals. Drawing on attribution theories, the current study examined perspectives that characterize the response of the system to girls' behaviors. Data from this study were derived from a multimethod, qualitative study on system-involved girls. We find that court actors hold gendered attributions of girls' delinquency, in turn informing their decision-making about how to treat and sanction girls. Paternalism remains a persistent feature in how the system locates, defines, and responds to girls through varying gendered attributions. The findings lend further support to attribution perspectives that suggest implicit gender-biases influence court actor decision-making, exacerbating the challenges girls face in and out of the juvenile legal system. By extension, this study offers concrete policy and practice implications for systems change and improving its response to girls.

Human Trafficking Cases Presenting within Child Advocacy Centers.

Although human trafficking of minors is an increasing concern within the United States, very little information is known about how trafficking cases are processed within child advocacy centers (CACs). The current study addresses this gap in the literature by providing descriptive information about victims, service referrals, and prosecutorial outcomes for human trafficking cases presenting at CACs across a Midwestern state. The data originates from a state-wide study focused on understanding the scope of human trafficking cases. Specifically, the dataset includes 210 youth presenting at CACs over a three-year period of time. In this sample, the typical human trafficking case involved sex trafficking of a self-identified white female victim, with an offender known to the victim. Most child survivors passing through CACs were referred to medical and mental health services, although these service referrals did not greatly differ across at-risk versus substantiated trafficking cases. Overall, the findings suggest that CACs are uniquely positioned to encounter human trafficking cases and provide needed services to trafficking survivors. Finally, recommendations are provided for CACs regarding the intake and identification of trafficking cases more broadly.

Family-based Intervention for Legal System-involved Girls: A Mixed Methods Evaluation.

The increased proportion of juvenile court-involved girls has spurred interest to implement and evaluate services to reduce girls' system involvement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a family-based intervention by using a dominant sequential mixed methods evaluation approach. First, we examined quantitative data using a quasi-experimental design to determine whether the family-based intervention reduced recidivism among court-involved girls. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to construct statistically equivalent groups to compare one-year recidivism outcomes for girls who received the court-run family-based intervention (n = 181) to a group of girls on probation who did not receive the intervention (n = 803). Qualitative interviews (n = 39) were conducted to contextualize the quantitative findings and highlighted the circumstances that family-focused interventions for court-involved girls. Girls who received the program had slightly lower recidivism rates following the intervention. The qualitative findings contextualized the quasi-experimental results by providing an explanation as to the girls' family circumstances and insights into the mechanisms of the intervention. Results highlighted the importance of family-focused interventions for juvenile justice-involved girls. These findings have practical and policy implications for the use interventions-beyond the individual level-with adjudicated girls and offer suggestions for ways to improve their effectiveness using a community psychology lens. In addition, this paper includes a discussion of evaluating of juvenile court programming from a community psychology perspective including strengths, challenges, and considerations for future work in this area.

Victim or Prostitute? The Classification of Commercial Sex Events Involving Minors in the National Incident-Based Reporting System.

Sex trafficking is recognized as a national problem that inflicts serious harm on its victims, yet, legislative responses to trafficking vary depending on jurisdiction. Federal legislation considers youths who engage in commercial sex acts as trafficking victims. States, however, vary in the evidence required to prove a juvenile is a victim of sex trafficking, as opposed to an offender of prostitution. Using four years of data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, we compared details of commercial sex incidents involving youths who were identified as trafficking victims or arrested as prostitutes. Beyond legislative differences, comparisons between cases are discussed to illuminate how state law enforcement officials legally classify these events involving adolescents (i.e., as victims or prostitutes). Further, we consider the policy implications of the findings.

A Meta-Analysis of Program Characteristics for Youth with Disruptive Behavior Problems: The Moderating Role of Program Format and Youth Gender.

There is high variability in efficacy for interventions for youth with disruptive behavior problems (DBP). Despite evidence of the unique correlates and critical consequences of girls' DBP, there is a dearth of research examining treatment efficacy for girls. This meta-analysis of 167 unique effect sizes from 29 studies (28,483 youth, 50% female; median age: 14) suggests that existing treatments have a medium positive effect on DBP (g = .33). For both boys and girls, the most effective interventions included (a) multimodal or group format, (b) cognitive skills or family systems interventions, and (c) length-intensive programs for (d) younger children. Boys demonstrated significantly greater treatment gains from group format interventions compared to girls, which is particularly important given that the group program format was the most prevalent format for boys and girls, with 14 studies involving 10,433 youth encompassing this category. This is the first meta-analysis to examine the effect of program characteristics in a sample of programs selected to be specifically inclusive of girls. Given that girls are underrepresented in intervention research on DBP, findings are discussed in terms of gender-responsive considerations and elucidating how key aspects of program structure can support more effective intervention outcomes for youth.

Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in Ohio, 2014-2016.

Objectives. To develop statewide estimates of known victims and individuals at risk of human trafficking in Ohio.Methods. We collected information from 12 state and local sources including child welfare, legal services, and law enforcement data. We collected the data from agency records dating 2013 to 2018. However, the majority of data were from calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 (roughly 95% across individual and aggregate sources). We used probabilistic matching to estimate victim and at-risk cases-accounting for duplicates.Results. According to available data, there were 1032 known victims during the study time frame. We identified approximately 4209 at-risk individuals based on youths presenting with common risk factors for trafficking victimization.Conclusions. Estimating the prevalence of human trafficking is an important public health research priority. As the first "cataloging" of existing record systems in Ohio to our knowledge, this study provided a comprehensive overview of the number of victims and the type of information that is available in the state. This study highlights the importance of moving toward the use of epidemiological approaches to measure the prevalence of human trafficking.

Behavioral Health Service Utilization Among Detained Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence and Potential Moderators.

PURPOSE: Utilization of behavioral health treatment services among adolescents who have been detained or incarcerated within the juvenile justice system is poorly understood, with estimated utilization rates varying widely across studies. This meta-analysis was conducted to review and synthesize the literature on the prevalence of service utilization among this population. METHODS: Data from 27 studies of 28 distinct samples were abstracted and coded. A meta-analysis was conducted to calculate individual prevalence estimates of behavioral health service utilization, which were combined using random effects models. A moderator analysis was also conducted. RESULTS: Prevalence effect sizes (pr) for service utilization were low, with effect sizes pr = 33.1% for mental health services, pr = 27.95% for substance use-related services, and pr = 45.32% for unspecified services. The moderator analysis showed significant heterogeneity in prevalence of behavioral health service utilization. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest limited service utilization by adolescents who had been detained or incarcerated, whether assessed before, during, or after confinement. Future research should focus on assessing the quality of, and youth access to, behavioral health services within and outside of juvenile justice facilities. Improved programs to ensure consistent treatment for previously detained or incarcerated adolescents are warranted.

Contextualizing the nature of trauma in the juvenile justice trajectories of girls.

The proportion of girls involved in the juvenile justice system has steadily increased over the last few decades. Previous research has indicated that the presence of girls in the juvenile justice system is often linked to trauma and violence, and the subsequent criminalization of behaviors associated with traumatic experiences. The present study examined qualitative interview data from juvenile court officers (n = 24) in a mid-sized juvenile county court to review the types and extent of trauma experienced by girls and the connection of trauma to juvenile justice trajectories. A secondary goal of the study was to determine the current level of access to trauma-informed care for female youth and how equipped juvenile court are to manage and provide trauma-related services. Results indicated that girls experience high rates of family violence, neglect, emotional trauma, and sexual abuse. Juvenile court officers described how these events were often connected to their pathways into the justice system; however, there was less discussion of trauma-specific care for girls. These perceptions and explanations of traumatic events directly shape prevention, intervention, and policy responses by the justice system. This study raises concerns related to how researchers and practitioners can shift the focus from trauma as an individual-level deficit to an ecological understanding of trauma and the integration of trauma-informed practice in juvenile justice contexts.

Medicaid Coverage and Continuity for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth.

This study examined Medicaid coverage and continuity for youth with varying levels of justice system involvement and the impact of a policy change allowing Medicaid suspension, rather than termination. Data for this study were collected using a retrospective cohort design using arrest records and Medicaid enrollment tables for 20,688 youth. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, and deepest level of justice system involvement all were associated with time to de-enrollment from Medicaid. Suspension was associated with a small improvement in Medicaid continuity for justice-involved youth. In addition, youth with deeper levels of justice system involvement had faster time to de-enrollment. This study highlights the importance of maximizing opportunities to keep youth enrolled, as gaps in coverage will likely affect juveniles' access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care.

Assessing the Incremental Validity of Andrews and Bonta's "Moderate Four" Predictors of Recidivism Using a Diverse Sample of Offending and Truant Youth.

Bonta and Andrews suggest that there are eight factors that predict recidivism among offenders, which they call the "Central Eight." They split up the Central Eight into the "Big Four" and the "Moderate Four," with the Big Four hypothesized to be more strongly associated with recidivism than the Moderate Four. The purpose of this study was to assess the incremental validity of the Moderate Four relative to the Big Four as they are measured on the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI). The sample comprised 2,436 youth between the ages of 9 and 18 ( M = 14.34) in the formal probation and truancy division from a juvenile county court in the Midwest. Recidivism was measured as a new petition filed against a youth in court within 2 years of a youth's initial offense. Results indicated that the Moderate Four predictors provided no incremental validity beyond the Big Four but did not reduce the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI.

Preventive Care Use Among Justice-Involved and Non-Justice-Involved Youth.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Youth involved in the juvenile justice system (ie, arrested youth) are at risk for health problems. Although increasing preventive care use by justice-involved youth (JIY) is 1 approach to improving their well-being, little is known about their access to and use of care. The objective of this study was to determine how rates of well-child (WC) and emergency department visits, as well as public insurance enrollment continuity, differed between youth involved in the justice system and youth who have never been in the system. We hypothesized that JIY would exhibit less frequent WC and more frequent emergency service use than non-justice-involved youth (NJIY). METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of administrative medical and criminal records of all youth (ages 12-18) enrolled in Medicaid in Marion County, Indiana, between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2011. RESULTS: The sample included 88 647 youth; 20 668 (23%) were involved in the justice system. JIY had lower use rates of WC visits and higher use rates of emergency services in comparison with NJIY. JIY had more and longer gaps in Medicaid coverage compared with NJIY. For all youth sampled, both preventive and emergency services use varied significantly by Medicaid enrollment continuity. CONCLUSIONS: JIY experience more and longer gaps in Medicaid coverage, and rely more on emergency services than NJIY. Medicaid enrollment continuity was associated with differences in WC and emergency service use among JIY, with policy implications for improving preventive care for these vulnerable youth.

A qualitative natural history study of ME/CFS in the community.

In previous qualitative research on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), researchers have focused on the experiences of patients with ME/CFS in tertiary care samples. This qualitative study examined the natural history of people with ME/CFS (n = 19) from a community-based sample. Findings highlighted multilayered themes involving the illness experience and the physical construction of ME/CFS. In addition, this study further illuminated unique subthemes regarding community response and treatment, which have implications for understanding the progression of ME/CFS as well as experiences of those within patient networks. There is a need for more longitudinal qualitative research on epidemiological samples of patients with ME/CFS.

A review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To review and synthesize findings across qualitative studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). METHODS: Articles were systematically reviewed and analyzed within a meta-analytic framework. Analyses included a multi-perspective examination of ME/CFS, as well as a comparative analysis of ME/CFS versus other chronic conditions. RESULTS: Thirty-four qualitative studies on ME/CFS were included. Findings include three substantive thematic areas that focus on: (1) experiences of people with ME/CFS, (2) experiences of physicians, and (3) themes that intersect both of these groups. For patients, illness development influenced identity, reductions in functioning, and coping. Physician-specific themes described lack of awareness about ME/CFS and recommended improvement in educational resources. Intersecting themes expressed issues with diagnosis creating tensions and fueling the stigmatization of ME/CFS. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate multilayered, context-specific experiences and ways in which both people with ME/CFS, as well as those involved in their lives (e.g., family or the medical community), interpret this illness. Future qualitative studies should recognize the various facets of the ME/CFS experience, the network members of people with ME/CFS, and the sociocultural environment through which the illness is understood. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health care professionals can gain unique insight from patient experiences, allowing for more accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations.