Browsing by Subject "At-risk youth"
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Item Psychotropic medication and at-risk youth: Studying its protective effects on delinquent behavior(2016-07-26) Hoskowitz, Natalie A.Children witnessing violence and directly experiencing abuse and neglect are at high risk for a number of deleterious outcomes, including psychiatric disorders and involvement in the foster care and juvenile justice systems (JJS; Cuevas, Finkelhor, Shattuck, Turner, & Hamby, 2013; Sickmund & Puzzanchera, 2014). These studies emphasize the need for effective treatment programs to address the challenges facing these youth, for which an increasingly attractive option is long-term administration of psychotropic medications. Most research to date examines the utility of such medication in the short-term (Dailey, Townsend, Dysken, & Kuskowski, 2005; Loy, Merry, Hetrick, & Stasiak, 2013), but with mixed evidence as to the long-term positive gains these medications impart on reducing delinquent behaviors, including involvement in the JJS. This study sought to examine how psychotropic medication influenced total delinquent behaviors in a given year, as well as entry into the JJS, over a seven-year time period with a sample of at-risk youth. Data were taken from the National Study of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) database. Results indicate that, when controlling for a proxy of socioeconomic status, baseline externalizing behavior, and the child’s gender and race, psychotropic medication treatment of at-risk youth did not appear to exert a protective effect on their engagement in delinquent behaviors over a seven-year time span. That is, while delinquent behaviors decreased over time, it was not due to the medication regimen of the youth. Further, psychotropic medication treatment of at-risk youth does not appear to exert a protective effect on these youths’ entry into the JJS over a seven-year time span. That is, youth who were either consistently- or inconsistently-medicated were at significantly increased risk of entry into the JJS – up to 9.3 times higher risk for consistently medicated youth – particularly within the first 20 months of the study. Further, while such risk stabilized after the two-year mark, youth who received psychotropic medication remained at higher risk than never-medicated youth, particularly if the medication regimen was consistent. Explanations, and implications of, these findings are discussed, as well as future directions for researchItem Resilience in youth under investigation for maltreatment exposure : perceptions of support, monitoring and school engagement and the effects on self-reported delinquency(2015-08) Lamari-Fisher, Alexandra; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Carlson, Cindy I; Sander, Janay B; Sherry, Alissa; Thompson, SannaIn national surveys of youth being investigated as potential victims of maltreatment, outcomes suggest that being involved with Child Protective Services (CPS), regardless of the final case determination, can be considered a risk event, changing youth’s life trajectory and increasing the likelihood of negative outcomes as they enter young adulthood. The negative outcomes these youth experience as young adults— increased risk of poverty, higher rates of mental health symptoms, higher rates of domestic violence—have been shown to be risk factors associated with becoming a perpetrator of child maltreatment. Applying a resiliency framework to the issue of maltreatment shifts the focus from psychopathology to positive adaptations despite risk exposure. The building blocks of the resiliency framework are protective mechanisms, variables that can shift a potentially negative life trajectory by promoting positive adaptations in three core areas of competencies: social, academic and conduct. This study was designed to examine the potential protective effects of perceived support by a caregiver, perceived monitoring, and school engagement, using delinquency as a measure of conduct competence. Support by caregiver is defined by qualities such as warmth and security, as well as supporting adolescent autonomy development. Previous research has shown that for most adolescents a positive, supportive relationship with a caregiver serves as a protective mechanism reducing the likelihood of engagement in delinquent acts. Research has shown that adolescents who are actively monitored by adult caregivers are less likely to experience negative outcomes. School engagement has more mixed results depending on the underlying components examined and the population being studied. A latent variable structural equation model (SEM) was developed and tested using a sample of 1054 youth aged 11 to 17 who were involved with Child Protective Services. Participants were drawn from the National Survey for Child and Adolescent Well-Being II (NSCAW-II). The SEM model tested the direct effects of the latent variables of perceived support, perceived monitoring, and school engagement, as measured at baseline, on overall delinquency and on subtypes of delinquency 18 months later. Results of the study suggested that higher levels of perceived support by a caregiver led to reduced reports of subsequent minor offenses. Youth who reported higher levels of monitoring by caregivers at baseline reported higher levels of offenses against persons and minor offenses 18 months later. Conversely, youth who reported higher levels of school engagement at baseline reported significantly lower levels of offenses against people and property and fewer minor offenses 18 months later. Results of this study highlight the important role schools play as a resource for at-risk youth, supporting positive adaptation. The unexpected outcomes associated with monitoring imply how and when monitoring is measured can affect delinquency.Item School characteristics associated with the educational resilience of low-income and ethnic minority youth(2010-12) Brooks, Jean Evelyn; Streeter, Calvin L.; Franklin, Cynthia; Greene, Roberta R.; Richardson, Frank C.; Springer, David W.This study empirically tested Benard’s (1991, 2004) theory of resilience and youth development by examining the influence of caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools on the mathematics achievement and timely graduation of public high school students. Additional analyses focused on subsamples of students who were at risk of academic failure and school dropout—students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile, African American and Hispanic students, and a generic at-risk sample that includes students from these three groups plus students who had nontraditional families, had a disability, or were retained a grade in school. The study used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002, which was designed to monitor young people as they transition from tenth grade to postsecondary education and/or employment. Hierarchical Linear Models and Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models were used for the analyses. Experiences within the schools that conveyed caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution were associated with higher senior year mathematics achievement scores and increased odds of timely graduation for the overall public school sample and for the at-risk groups. Suggestions are made for increasing caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for participation and contribution within the schools. The limitations of this study and directions for further research are also discussed.