Invisible disabilities and college academic success: New evidence from a mediation analysis.

Students with "invisible" disabilities-including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD), learning disorders, and mental health conditions-make up an increasingly large share of college students in the United States. Despite these gains in access, students with invisible disabilities remain disadvantaged relative to their neurotypical and non-disabled peers in many parts of the college experience, including academically. Researchers have hypothesized that inequalities in pre-college academic preparation, barriers to social integration, and lower levels of engagement on college campuses may be at least partially to blame.

COVID-19 and changes in college student educational expectations and health by disability status.

This study examines the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for college students' health and education, with special attention to variation by disability status. Disaster research supports the hypothesis that students with disabilities will experience higher-than-usual levels of pandemic-related stress, which could lead to re-evaluations of their educational expectations and declines in health. We evaluate this hypothesis by modeling changes in students' (1) mental and physical health and (2) educational expectations during the first year (spring of 2020 to spring of 2021) of the pandemic, using survey data collected from a population-based sample of college students in the state of Indiana.

Autistic Traits and College Adjustment.

This study evaluated the association of autistic traits (RAADS-14) with academic and social outcomes among college students using data from an online survey (N = 2,736). In the academic domain, the total trait score and all subscale scores (mentalizing deficits, social anxiety, sensory reactivity) were associated with course failure and academic difficulties independent of an autism diagnosis; the total score and mentalizing deficits also predicted lower grade point average (GPA). In the social domain, the total trait score and subscale scores were associated with lower odds of having a confidant, lower friendship quality, and higher odds of social exclusion.

The health of college students on the autism spectrum as compared to their neurotypical peers.

Studies have shown that children and older adults on the autism spectrum experience more physical and mental health problems than their neurotypical peers. Less is known about the physical and mental health of college students on the spectrum. Studying college students is important because young adults on the spectrum are enrolling in college at increasing rates and because health problems can be a barrier to succeeding in college.

The Experiences of College Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Comparison to Their Neurotypical Peers.

This study describes the academic, social, and health experiences of college students on the autism spectrum as they compare to students with other disabilities and their non-disabled, neurotypical peers. Data were from an online survey of college students at 14 public institutions (N = 3073). There were few significant differences between students on the spectrum and students with other disabilities.

Structured Variation in Parental Beliefs about Autism.

We used data from the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services (N = 1,420) to evaluate a conceptual model linking social background (race-ethnicity, socioeconomic status [SES]) to parental distress through children's clinical profiles and parental beliefs about the nature and causes of their child's autism. Children's clinical profiles varied by social background; white children and children of more highly educated and affluent parents were less likely to experience comorbid conditions and were more likely to be diagnosed with Asperger's. Parental beliefs also varied such that parents of racial-ethnic minority children and parents of lower SES perceived their child's condition as more uncertain and were less likely to attribute it to genetic causes.

Why and how inequality matters.

In this article, I share some thoughts about how we might extend the study of mental health inequalities by drawing from key insights in sociology and sociological social psychology about the nature of inequality and the processes through which it is produced, maintained, and resisted. I suggest several questions from sociological research on stratification that could help us understand unexpected patterns of mental health inequalities. I also advocate for the analysis of "generic" social psychological processes through which inequalities are produced, maintained, and resisted within proximate social environments.

Adolescent mental health, behavior problems, and academic achievement.

Prior research on the association of mental health and behavior problems with academic achievement is limited because it does not consider multiple problems simultaneously, take co-occurring problems into account, and control for academic aptitude. We addressed these limitations using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 6,315). We estimated the associations of depression, attention problems, delinquency, and substance use with two indicators of academic achievement (high school GPA and highest degree received) with controls for academic aptitude.

Substance Use, Distress, and Adolescent School Networks.

This study examined the associations of substance use, psychological distress, and mental health services receipt with the structure and content of adolescent school-based networks. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we found that substance use was associated with receiving more, but making fewer, peer nominations. It also was associated with less favorable network characteristics, such as low GPA.

The association of socioemotional problems with early sexual initiation.

Context: Research on the association between socioemotional problems and early sexual initiation has not evaluated differences across types of problems, by gender, or by race or ethnicity.

Methods: Data were analyzed for a sample derived from the Children of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth: 1,836 youth who were 10-11 years old at the 1992, 1994 and 1996 waves. Mothers' reports of their child's socioemotional problems at age 10-11 were assessed; sexual initiation before age 15 was assessed using youth self-reports.

Trajectories of Failure: The Educational Careers of Children with Mental Health Problems.

The authors draw on developmental psychopathology, life course sociology, and scholarship on educational processes to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the association of children's mental health problems with educational attainment. They use this framework to address two empirical gaps in prior research: lack of attention to mental health trajectories and the failure to consider diverse explanations. Using data from the Children of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth data set, the authors identify latent classes that characterize trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems from childhood through adolescence.

The construction of fear: Americans' preferences for social distance from children and adolescents with mental health problems.

Debates about children's mental health problems have raised questions about the reliability and validity of diagnosis and treatment. However, little research has focused on social reactions to children with mental health problems. This gap in research raises questions about competing theories of stigma, as well as specific factors shaping prejudice and discrimination toward those children.

Comparison of public attributions, attitudes, and stigma in regard to depression among children and adults.

Objective: This study compared public attributions and attitudes toward adult and child depression, with a focus on problem recognition, medical and social causes, help-seeking recommendations, perceptions of violence, and the use of coercion.

Methods: The investigators compared data from two special modules of the 1996 and 2002 nationally representative General Social Survey on public response to mental illness. Respondents answered questions regarding a vignette in which an adult had depression (N=193) or one in which a child had depression (N=312).

Public knowledge, beliefs, and treatment preferences concerning attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to understand the level of public knowledge about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), treatment preferences for the disorder, and their sociodemographic correlates.

Methods: A short battery of questions about ADHD was included in the 2002 General Social Survey (N=1,139). In face-to-face interviews, respondents answered questions about whether they had heard of ADHD, what they knew about ADHD, their beliefs about whether ADHD is a "real" disease, and opinions about whether children with ADHD should be offered counseling or medication.

Perceived dangerousness of children with mental health problems and support for coerced treatment.

Objective: This study examined the public's beliefs regarding the potential for harm to self and others and the public's willingness to invoke coercive or legal means to ensure treatment of children.

Methods: Using data from the National Stigma Study-Children (NSS-C), which presented vignettes to 1,152 individuals, the investigators compared public perceptions of the dangerousness of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression, asthma, and "daily troubles." Multivariate analyses were used to examine the predictors of perceptions of dangerousness and the willingness to support legally enforced treatment of these conditions.

Stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs about treatment and psychiatric medications for children with mental illness.

Objectives: Data on community responses to two treatment issues critical for children and adolescents with mental health problems are addressed: stigma associated with receiving mental health care and the willingness to use psychiatric medication.

Methods: Using a representative sample of the U.S.

Income inequality, race, and child well-being: an aggregate analysis in the 50 United States.

Interest in income inequality as a predictor of health has exploded since the mid-1990s. Recent analyses suggest, however, that the effect of income inequality on population health is not robust to a control for the racial composition of the population. That observation raises two interpretational questions.

Public attitudes toward the use of psychiatric medications for children.

Psychiatric medication use for children has increased dramatically over the past three decades. Despite substantial media attention to the issue, little is known about how the lay public feels about the use of psychiatric medications for children. Drawing on theories of medicalization, we describe and analyze Americans' attitudes towards the use of psychiatric medications generally and Prozac specifically for children described as having three types of behavioral problems.

Who should ask? Ethical interviewing in psychiatric epidemiology studies.

In a recent survey examining responses to life stress, difficulties were encountered by lay interviewers. These are addressed, as are ethical issues arising from the combination of survey and clinical methodologies. The issues of respondent harm and informed consent are discussed and initial strategies outlined.