{"title":"Understanding factors that impact the acquisition of Independent Living Skills among young people transitioning from Out-of-Home Care","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and Aims</h3><div>Independent Living Skills (ILS) are essential to support young people as they enter adulthood. Negative outcomes are consistently observed across a variety of different independent living areas of life for care experienced young people. This study aimed to analyse ILS measure scores across eight ILS domains and overall, completed by young people from Western Australia (WA), to understand how they differ between participants who were still in-care (<em>n</em> = 49) and who had left-care (<em>n</em> = 73), and what factors (such as care experience and personal characteristics) moderate the acquisition of ILS. For this paper, the overarching concept of ILS is defined by young people’s ILS measure scores, where higher self-reported scores are interpreted as greater confidence and competence in ILS (overall and for each of the eight ILS domains).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants (<em>N</em> = 122) aged between 15 and 25 years completed an ILS measure as part of the Navigating Through Life, longitudinal, mixed-method, population-based study. This present study considers data from wave 1 (of 5) of the NTL study, where eight ILS domains were identified: Financial Management, Knowledge of Accessing Available Supports, Managing Housing, Education Planning, Job Seeking, Health Risk Management, Domestic and Self-help Task, and Managing Relationships. This study explored how dependent variables (the ILS overall scores and 8 ILS domain scores) are associated with participants’ care experience and demographic characteristics (the independent variables) via linear regression and an exploratory multivariate moderator analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The in-care and left-care groups’ ILS measure scores were comparable. Of the independent variables, care status, self-determination, and regionality were significant (<em>p-value</em>=<.05), predicting greater ILS measure scores across the ILS domains and/or overall. Whereas the independent variables of placement stability, longest placement type, gender, taking part in an enhanced leaving care scheme (ELCS), and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status were not significant predictors of higher ILS measure scores. Moderator analyses were conducted for the overall ILS scores, the Health Risk Management, and the Domestic and Self-help Task domain scores (dependent variables). No significant interaction effects were found for care status, self-determination, and regionality, which were identified as significant factors in and of themselves.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion and Conclusion</h3><div>This study emphasises that ILS domains are interlinked, and findings should be utilised to further highlight the significance of the transition to adulthood stage, especially given the similarities in scores for both in-care and left-care groups. Future research could look at transition pathways that prioritise different ILS domains depending on young peop","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Academic achievement among youth in foster care","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This disproportionate rate of academic achievement among youth in foster care raises significant concerns given the social and economic benefits that earning a high school diploma provides over the course of an individual’s life. This study examines the relationship between a youth’s foster care experience (removal reason, number of placements, total number of days in foster care, connection to adult mentor, substance abuse, and dual-system involvement) and academic achievement across gender, race, ethnicity, and disabilities using the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting (AFCARS) data and the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). This study found that several factors including gender, race, ethnicity, disability, connection to adult mentor, substance abuse referral, and dual-system involvement (incarceration) were associated with academic achievement. It is clear from the data that youth involved in the foster care system need increased support during their educational tenure. Low academic achievement rates among youth in foster care need to be addressed with more effectual, balanced, deliberate supportive resources, such as special education/disability services, mentoring programs, and independent living services (ILS) that connect youth in foster care to supports that will help them earn a high school diploma and increased the likelihood that they would go on to postsecondary education opportunity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Longing to be cared about and cared for” Exploring Experiences of Trauma Therapy and Views on Future Trauma Therapy (Including Digital) for Young People in Rural Northern Sweden","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Young people in rural areas face challenges related to their living conditions, and unequal access to physical and mental healthcare. Despite the high prevalence of trauma exposure among young people, there is a significant lack of evidence-based treatment that is tailored to the needs of young people in rural parts of Northern Sweden. Barriers to accessing treatment include the need to travel long distances to access services, and a lack of educated, culturally competent therapists. Accordingly, this article aims to explore how young trauma patients in rural areas have experienced their trauma therapy, and their views on future trauma therapy (including digital forms). This knowledge will be used to develop trauma therapy that is adapted to the needs of young patients in rural areas in Sweden.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>The study included young trauma patients in rural areas in Northern Sweden between the ages of 15 and 21 (n = 14). Qualitative individual semi-structured interviews were performed and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analysis resulted in one overarching theme, “Longing to be cared about and cared for,” and three themes: 1. “Rural circumstances matter,” 2. “Feeling understood and empowered”, and 3. “Ambivalence regarding digital trauma therapy”. The results show that rural contexts present both possibilities and challenges: new creative care landscapes are needed where young people are cared about and cared for (and with), including a deeper understanding of the multidimensional relationship between people, places, and care.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Young trauma patients in rural areas want effective therapy with more knowledge and cultural sensitivity. The findings indicate that digital trauma therapy offers many benefits and reduces barriers. However, young people want future therapy to be provided both digitally and in person, and –importantly – individually adapted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do the effects of head start vary across time based on children’s exposure to different patterns of childhood adversity? Differential intervention effects using latent profile analysis and time-varying effect modeling","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107952","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107952","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined whether exposure to different patterns of poverty-related adversity (i.e., risk profiles) was associated with longitudinal child outcomes and children’s response to Head Start. Data came from the Head Start Impact Study involving 3-year-old children (<em>N</em> = 2449; 52 % girls; 37 % Latiné; 33 % White; 30 % Black). Results from latent profile analysis and time-varying effect modeling suggested that (a) child risk profiles differed in their social-emotional and learning outcomes over time, (b) only children in certain risk profiles benefitted from Head Start, and (c) these benefits emerged at different times. Findings can be used to inform tailored approaches to ensure the greatest number of children benefit from early educational interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transactional models of depression via caregiver-child interactions: Evaluating conflict resolution as a source of resilience in adversity-exposed families","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Youth who experienced early life caregiving adversity (ECA) are at increased risk for developing depression, which may in part reflect a heightened vulnerability to the deleterious effects of later-life stressors, including poor caregiver mental health and interpersonal conflict. Transactional models posit bidirectional influences between caregivers and children that operate over development and more proximally across interactions.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To address gaps in knowledge of bidirectional influences between caregivers and children, and differences therein based on ECA exposure, we evaluated the effects of caregiver and child depressive symptoms on their own and each other’s emotion-related behavior during conflict resolution, and the effects of their behavior on their own and each other’s changes in affect expression from conflict resolution to a recovery task.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and setting</h3><div>161 caregiver-child dyads (child age 6–16 years; 49 % female youth; 45 % caregivers of ECA-exposed youth) participated in videorecorded conflict resolution and subsequent recovery tasks.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Caregivers reported on their own and their child’s depressive symptoms. Trained coders rated caregiver and child positive and negative affect and supportive and unsupportive emotion-related behavior.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Contrary to expectations derived from models of stress-sensitization, results of actor-partner interdependence models demonstrated positive associations between caregiver depressive symptoms and supportive child behavior, among ECA-exposed families. Among these families, only, child supportive behavior was also associated with greater increases in subsequent caregiver positive affect during the recovery task.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In contrast to models of stress-sensitization, youth supportive reactions to caregiver distress may initiate positive spirals that transcend interactions. Implications for intervention efforts are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mediation of expressive suppression and emotional well-being in the relationship between loneliness and mobile phone addiction among Chinese adolescents","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between adolescent loneliness and mobile phone addiction has been well-documented; however, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to explore the mediation of expressive suppression and emotional well-being in the loneliness-mobile phone addiction link among Chinese adolescents. A total of 906 adolescents completed the related questionnaires in a cross-sectional study. Results have shown that higher levels of loneliness are associated with higher levels of mobile phone addiction. Meanwhile, the link between loneliness and mobile phone addiction could be independently mediated by expressive suppression and emotional well-being. The serial mediation effect of expressive suppression and emotional well-being could also explain the link between loneliness and mobile phone addiction. These findings highlight potential intervention directions targeting these factors to decrease mobile phone addiction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Youth leadership development in the 4-H Foods and Nutrition program","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Out-of-school time programs are important contexts for youth to gain and grow leadership. The youth leadership development conceptual model (<span><span>Redmond & Dolan, 2016</span></span>) identified authentic opportunities, mentor access, motivating endeavors, and mastering endeavors as four core program processes for youth leadership development. Yet few studies have empirically tested the model’s applicability to youth-serving programs. To fill this gap, the current study examines the associations between the four program processes and leadership development in youth participating in the 4-H Foods and Nutrition program. The role of program dosage was also examined. Questionnaire data were collected from 290 youth aged between 11 and 19 years from the 4-H Foods and Nutrition program. The levels of the four program processes were positively correlated with each other and with youth leadership. When modeled together as predictors, authentic opportunities and mastery were significant predictors of leadership. However, when program duration was controlled, none of the program processes remained as significant predictors, despite the model’s overall significance in explaining variances in youth leadership. Further mediation analysis revealed that program dosage predicted youth leadership through authentic opportunities and mastering endeavors. The findings expanded the understanding of the youth leadership development conceptual model and informed its adapted application to the 4-H Foods and Nutrition program.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of trauma and placement in residential or congregate care on the criminalisation of children in England/Wales and Australia","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children in residential care have the most complex needs of all children growing up in Out-of-Home care (OOHC), due to complex trauma from pre-care experiences of abuse and neglect, inadequate therapeutic supports while in care and significant placement instability. Some argue that residential care settings are intrinsically criminogenic, as evidenced by significant over-representation of this cohort in youth justice. However, little is known about how children’s experiences of trauma, including removal from family and placement in OOHC, is viewed by lawyers and decision-makers in criminal cases involving children in care. Criminal justice decisions can have long-term ramifications for children in care and custodial sentencing can often be a precursor to ongoing incarceration into adulthood. This qualitative, cross-national study explored the impacts of trauma and placement in residential or congregate care on the criminalisation of children in England/Wales and Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 legal, youth justice and judicial stakeholders in England, Wales (UK), New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (Australia). While there are considerable differences in the operation of child protection and youth justice systems between these jurisdictions, thematic analysis using NVivo14 identified. confirmed ongoing systemic factors associated with criminalisation identified in previous literature persists despite attempts to address these through policy and practice reforms. These factors include an absence of therapeutic supports, unstable and unsafe residential care placements, over-reliance on police to respond to minor incidents, increasingly punitive police responses lacking awareness of the impacts of childhood trauma and inappropriate use of custody as an ‘alternative’ placement. These findings suggest the similar systemic processes across these jurisdictions are likely to reflect deeply entrenched ideologies about ‘care’ and ‘protection’ that function to criminalise trauma. The implications of these systemic factors when children are exposed to formal criminal justice decision-making are considered.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142416074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-determination for students with disabilities during challenging times","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the field of special education and transition services, self-determination is understood as a dispositional characteristic whose development can be supported through effective interventions. However, limited research has explored how youth used their self-determination to navigate through the pandemic and barriers they encountered during and after this period. The purpose of this study was to look at self-reported self-determination scores on the Self-Determination Inventory over one year as students with disabilities returned to school after the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency to inform future research and supports during challenging times. In a sample of 1,128 students with disabilities, we found statistically and practically significant growth in youth self-determination from the Fall of 2020 to the Fall of 2021, overall and particularly on the Decide subscale of the Self-Determination Inventory. Black youth tended to score higher than White youth overall and across all subscales. There were, however, substantial missing data and a lack of information on interventions and supports received. Limitations and implications for future self-determination research to build on student’s strengths and center their strategies to advance their self-determination are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender differences in Chinese Adolescents’ school refusal: A network analysis to test the contribution of individual, family, and school factors","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107949","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107949","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To better guide school practitioners in identifying and intervening with instances of school refusal, this study employs network analysis to investigate the core manifestations among adolescents of different genders and explores the impact of various ecological factors on these characteristics. In this study, 910 middle school students in China (<em>M</em><sub>age</sub> ± <em>SD</em><sub>age</sub> = 13.55 ± 1.06, 48.13 % boys) were recruited to complete a paper-and-pencil survey on school refusal and its related factors. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was used to examine the network characteristics of school refusal and the potential influence of ecological factors on the core characteristics of school refusal. Results revealed that: (1) the core features of Chinese students’ school refusal were “I consider studying a burden”, “I often try to find ways to avoid studying”, and “Studying often makes me feel inwardly tense and anxious”, demonstrating gender consistency; and (2) there were significant gender differences in the underlying ecological factors that influence the core characteristics of Chinese students’ school refusal. Specifically, boys’ school refusal is more related to their parental academic involvement and teacher expectations. The higher the parents’ academic involvement and teacher expectations, the lower the boys’ school refusal. Girls’ school refusal is more related to personal educational values (the value of academic success and the future utility of education). The more girls identify with the value of education, the lower their school refusal. This study utilized network analysis to reveal unique gender differences in school refusal among Chinese adolescents. It also explored the complex interrelationships between individual, familial, and school factors and school refusal, demonstrating how these factors contribute differently in boys and girls. These findings indicated potential theoretical directions for future interventions for school refusal among Chinese students of different genders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142415910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}